French Open 2026: Tauson Battles Back Pain, Sets Up Snigur First-Round Clash

Tauson Opens up on two herniated discs as she prepares for Roland Garros

After six months of persistent back pain, Clara Tauson opens up on her diagnosis and her plan to return at the 2026 French Open.

Tauson will face Daria Snigur in round one of the French Open and says she’s prepared to play through her back problems after months of recovery...

 

Clara Tauson has revealed she is dealing with a serious chronic back injury ahead of the French Open. The Danish world No. 21 said two disc herniations are behind the injury problems she has faced this season.

The 23-year-old ended 2025 at a career-high ranking of world No. 12. She has since dropped to No. 21 in the latest WTA rankings.

Tauson has been managing ongoing back pain for over six months. The issue has forced her to pull out or retire during matches at major events, including back-to-back exits at the Miami Open against Katie Boulter and the Italian Open in Rome against Oleksandra Oliynykova. She also missed the Stuttgart Open completely.

Her record for 2026 is 8–9, and she has struggled to build any match rhythm. Earlier this week she completed her first full singles match in two months.

  

Now Tauson has explained what’s causing the pain and why it’s slowing her recovery. “I have two herniated discs in my back. It's chronic, you could say, and you have to train yourself out of it, but it's not always that easy when you have to play a lot of tournaments and go to the gym a lot,” says Clara Tauson to http://Eurosport.dk

 

“That's what I've suffered from for some time, but I feel like I've come out on the other side mentally. I'm ready to give it a shot, even though I have the problems I have now.”

Clara Tauson opens her 2026 French Open campaign against Ukraine’s Daria Snigur. The 21st seed will face either Sofia Kenin or Peyton Stearns in the second round if she gets past Snigur. A potential third-round match against 11th seed Belinda Bencic could follow.