Exclusive interview
Katie Swan’s injury comeback, United Cup return & a title to remember in Brisbane
Britain’s Katie Swan is putting her injury struggles behind her as the 26-year-old star targets Grand Slam events and the grass court season in 2026.
Almost a year ago, Swan made her return to professional tennis after battling through long-term injuries that led her to consider retirement.
The decision to give the tour one last go turned out to be the right one, and Swan’s comeback in 2025 was nothing short of impressive.
Now with almost a full year of matches – and titles – under her belt, Swan is proud of the progress so far and is setting her targets high for this season.
“It was great getting back on court last April after having only played two matches in over a year,” Swan said.
“My goal coming back to tennis was to really to try and enjoy competing, do everything I can to stay healthy and just be curious to what I could achieve rather than putting expectations on it.
“I told myself if I could win a tournament at any level again, I would be happy because that meant getting through five matches in a row. I didn’t expect to have such a successful return to professional tennis.
“Sometimes I find it hard to be proud of myself but when I look back on where I was a year ago, having decided to quit the sport for good, taking a coaching job and then by chance finding a doctor that would give me my last attempt at rehab to try and play again – it’s a lot easier to put things into perspective."
Having started the year without a singles title since 2022, Swan picked up four ITF trophies last season and rose to world No.275 in the rankings.
Such success brought many highlights, but two tournaments in particular stood above the rest.
“I have a couple of highlight moments from last year on the court,” said Swan. “The first being my first title in the comeback. It was a W15 in San Diego, which on paper is a small one, but it was a huge milestone in terms of my goals coming back.
“I also got to have my coach and physio there with me after all the work we put in together to get me back on court. It was special.
“The second would be the W50 title I won in Brisbane in November. I came through three tough three-set matches in a row against great players in the quarters, semi and final, which was huge for me to know I could hold up that well physically. After all the setbacks it gave me a lot of confidence to know that was possible.”
The title in Brisbane held extra significance for Swan, with her partner and Australian tennis star Alex Bolt winning the men’s ATP Challenger singles trophy at the same event.
It was a reward for the hard work both Swan and Bolt had put in on and off the court, and the way they support each other along their individual journeys.
“Winning the tournament in Brisbane alongside Alex was so special,” Swan added. “We’d both been having a bit of a tough time the week before with niggles and illness. Our coach was supposed to come to Australia for that week but unfortunately last minute it didn’t work out.
“We really did our best to support each other every match. We were lucky the tournament organizers arranged our matches so we weren’t playing at the same time too, so we were basically coach for each other which was fun.
“I love having him at the side of my matches as he is so calm and I also love watching him as I learn a lot from him and know he always has my back. Both of us winning the title was the cherry on top to a great week.”
At the start of the 2026 season, Swan’s strong results led to her being selected to join Captain Tim Henman’s team at the United Cup.
Swan – who is still the youngest player to represent the Lexus GB Billie Jean King Cup team (16) – was picked to play in Great Britain’s opening match against Japan, where she faced four-time Grand Slam champion and former world No.1 Naomi Osaka.
“It was so much fun getting to be part of the GB United Cup team this year,” she said. “Representing my country is something I take great pride in, and I had very fond memories of playing three years ago with Tim as captain and felt very fortunate to get into the team again last minute.
“It was great for me to have the opportunity to play against Naomi. I didn’t know officially until the afternoon before that I would be playing and I just really wanted to make the most of the opportunity and put in a strong performance for the team.
“I had chances to win the first set that I didn’t take and then the match started to get away from me and she showed why she is such a champion. I took a lot of positives from the match seeing that I could compete with that level and just need to build my tolerance to that intensity.”
Looking forward in 2026 and Swan has already started to compete in higher level events on the ITF Tour as she inches closer to the WTA 125 and WTA Tour level competitions.
When asked on her goals for this season, the British star is focusing on staying on court and reaching those landmark events.
“The main goal in 2026 is to stay as healthy as possible and compete as much as I can. I would love to compete in the remaining three grand slams and be part of the full grass court season, which I’m excited for.
“This journey can be extremely challenging at times, but I am proud of myself for not giving up and giving myself a shot at fulfilling my potential. I believe there is a lot more to come in my career.”