Worries for tennis ace

Ofner: “It doesn’t make sense the way it is now”

Worries for Sebastian Ofner

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

You can really feel sorry for Sebastian Ofner. The 28-year-old Styrian, who fought his way into the top 50 in 2023 after several years with massive heel problems, is currently suffering from the same injury again: "The way it is now, it doesn't make sense to some extent."

A so-called "Haglund heel", as it is medically called, is plaguing Austria's best tennis player. Ofner is determined to compete at his first Olympic Games, but it is uncertain what will happen afterwards.

Sebastian Ofner

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

"Of course I'm going to take the Olympics with me, I'm really looking forward to it," said Ofner after his three-set first-round exit in Kitzbühel against Lukas Neumayer from Salzburg. As was the case a few years ago, Ofner is currently only able to play while taking painkillers, and in addition to the left heel, which is mainly affected, the right heel is now also very overloaded due to evasive movements. "As it is at the moment, it doesn't look so good. I have to see if I can get it under control somehow, because I can't keep playing at this level."

However, the world number 56 is determined to play. "Of course I'm worried, because if there's something wrong again, I know how difficult and tough it is. But we'll check everything out after the Olympics. Maybe something will improve out of nowhere," says Ofner, almost imploringly.

No fun on the pitch
The "Haglund heel" is a deviating, particularly protruding shape of the heel bone. It can be congenital or acquired - and it can grow back, which is the case with Ofner. "This is exactly where the Achilles tendon is constantly rubbing. As a result, the Achilles tendon is always inflamed and there is bone marrow edema. It's not so much fun," reported Wolfgang Thiem's protégé.

Fun on the pitch - Ofner is currently a long way from that. "It's relatively tough in my skull because I've had problems with it for a long time and the fact that it's so acute again now is not so funny, even mentally." He can hardly change direction and cannot run at full speed. "The way it is now, it doesn't make sense at times."

"That would be a bit of a disaster"
Ofner already had some of the bone in his heel removed in October 2021 and then had to take seven months off. "Of course, there's always the possibility that it would have to be removed again. But I definitely don't want that because I know what it was like back then. Doing something like that again would be a bit of a disaster."

Sebastian Ofner

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

For the time being, he wants to hide the injury as much as possible, not show it on the court and now focus fully on the Olympics at Roland Garros. "The Olympics is once in four years, I'm really looking forward to it. Then I'll see how I feel afterwards." In any case, he is excited about the Olympics, and if it works out, he wants to enjoy one or two sporting events as a spectator.

Not good prospects
Ofner wants to bite through the Olympics, and he doesn't even want to rule out the North American trip with the big hard court tournaments in Montreal, Cincinnati, Winston-Salem and the US Open. "Maybe I'll see if I can still go through with it." Not good prospects for Ofner in any case.