Wimbledon 2026: Katie Swan wins on SW19 return after considering retirement

Swan first came to prominence when she reached the 2015 Australian Open girls’ singles final aged 15.

A year later, she became the youngest ever player to represent Great Britain in the Billie Jean King Cup.

But her career never took off the way many expected it to.

Swan was plagued with persistent back injuries and was often forcing herself to play through immense pain. By the end of 2024, she had reached breaking point.

“I wasn’t playing tennis anymore. I was coaching in the United States and I wasn’t really sure there was a way back to professional tennis,” she told BBC Radio 5 live.

“I never fell out of love with the sport. I just couldn’t stay healthy for long enough.

“I was trying to enjoy coaching and do what I could to earn some money, but it was not really fulfilling for me in that moment.

“I knew there was a lot more I could still give if I could just find a way to resolve my health issues.”

Luckily for Swan, she found a doctor that could help. Unfortunately, the treatment she needed was “excruciating”.

“He ended up doing a nerve kind of treatment on me. It was very painful,” she said.

“He found that my nerves weren’t functioning properly. It wasn’t very enjoyable, but I spent a couple of weeks with him, and it really, really helped.”