Michael Venus faces six months out after elbow surgery

Michael Venus is facing six months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on an elbow injury sustained during the summer.

The 38-year-old, who reached the semifinals of this year’s US Open with Indian partner Yuki Bhambri, tore a tendon during the French Open. 

The injury worsened through the North American swing before finally forcing him off the tour, with a scan revealing he had not only torn a tendon, but also completely detached a ligament from the bone. 

“During the French Open, I felt something in my elbow and had a scan afterwards. It showed a partial tear in the tendon,” Venus said. 

“I was spending about an hour a day with the physio just to loosen it up enough to play, and then it would go right back to where it was afterwards.”

After continuing to compete through Wimbledon and the US Open, Venus said the discomfort became impossible to manage. 

“We thought something might have happened in the quarterfinal match [in New York], from how it came up afterwards. 

“When I came back to London and had scans, I still had the partial tear, but now I’d completely worn the ligament off the bone also.”

Consulting specialists in the United States, where elbow reconstruction is common among baseball pitchers, Venus was initially advised to undergo the Tommy John procedure, which involves replacing the damaged ligament with one taken from elsewhere in the body.

“They said it would take over a year,” Venus said. “With my age and different things, I thought a year is a long time to try and get back into things.”

Instead, he sought an alternative opinion from Dr Andrea Arrigoni in Milan, who performs a newer operation that reattaches the existing ligament and repairs the tendon rather than replacing it.

“It’s something a lot of people aren’t doing, and he’s had some success with other players who’ve come back sooner. We weighed it all up and thought this was the best way to go,” Venus explained.

The surgery took place in early October, and he returned to Milan two weeks later to have his stitches removed and begin gentle rehabilitation.

If all goes to plan, Venus should be back in time for Roland Garros in May, although Venus hopes to be back earlier if his recovery allows.

“Even the surgeons said everyone heals differently, it depends on your biology and how much rehab you do,” he said. “They probably know how I am already, so they’ll try to hold me back a bit, otherwise I’ll go too fast.”

His daily routine now centres around physiotherapy to regain movement and strength in his right arm. 

“As the range of motion comes back, they’ll start adding in the strength slowly. You can’t jump to the next phase until you’re sure the last one’s done.”

The early weeks after surgery were tough. “The first two weeks I wasn’t in a good spot,” he said. 

“I couldn’t move or use my right hand at all, brushing my teeth or opening a bottle was frustrating. But I’ve started to see small improvements now, which keeps me in a better frame of mind.”

Having his young family around has helped. “As long as the kids aren’t jumping on me, they’re great. Playing with them takes your mind off everything. But it is strange not having much to do.”

Venus and Bhambri enjoyed an impressive first season together, capped by their US Open semifinal run. Venus said it was disappointing to have their momentum halted just as the pair were finding form.

“We were excited to be playing together and felt like we’d found some good things we could do well,” he said.

“It’s unfortunate, but Yuki has been really supportive, he’s stopped by in London twice and we talk every day. He’s had a lot of injuries himself, so he understands what comes with it.”

While sidelined, Venus has been impressed with the rise of fellow Kiwis James Watt and Finn Reynolds, who both broke into the world’s top 100 in doubles this month.

“Each week I’m watching live scores and checking how they’re doing. It’s awesome, they’ve been flying up the rankings,” he said. 

“Hopefully they can climb a bit more and maybe get into the Aussie Open. They’ll definitely be in Auckland, so that’ll be a great opportunity for them.”