The Swedish tennis player Mirjam Björklund has had a tough time lately. In February, she was forced to undergo an operation to remove a cyst on her neck.
I've had a tough year, she says.
After the US Open in July last year, Mirjam Björklund had problems with a foot that kept her out for several months – and in February, she was forced to undergo an operation.
I had a cyst on my neck that was fifteen centimeters in one direction and ten in the other. I've been dragging it with me for the last four to five years and didn't want to do anything, so I put it off, Björklund tells Helsingborgs Dagblad, and continues:
The doctors said I could drain it once, and if the fluid came back, I would remove it. I drained it eight times because I wanted to play and not take a break.
After several years with the cyst, Björklund therefore chose to finally undergo the operation in February.
Since I had already been out for four months due to my foot, I felt I could take two more for my neck and get rid of the cyst once and for all.
On Tuesday, Björklund made her comeback when she stepped out onto Båstad's center court. However, it was a direct defeat: loss with 4–6, 2–6 against Darja Semenistaja, Latvia.