Daniela got a wildcard into Madrid qualifying which is fantastic as she was 53rd alternate. She plays top seed Shelby Rogers in the first round which will be a very tough match. Rogers got to the quarter-final of Roland Garros last year and the quarter-final of Charleston last month so she's good on clay and she's a big hitter which will put pressure on Daniela's movement. Rogers is the favourite but Daniela did beat her in their previous meeting in Charleston although that was three years ago. The winner plays either Donna Vekic or Natalie Vikhlyantseva

It's a difficult draw but Daniela's in it. Madrid have always been good about giving her a wildcard.

Daniela has withdrawn ://:/:/

I've got to think that this is fairly serious otherwise Daniela wouldn't have withdrawn from a tournament as big as this. There was no real indication prior to this that Daniela had any major issue so I don't know if she'd been playing through this in Rabat or if it's something that just flared up. She did have a couple of withdrawals from Santa Margherita Di Pula but it seems like her last withdrawal from there was so she could play Rabat qualifying. It's unlikely that Daniela would have won but you play the match to find out. I just hope it's not too serious and she's able to play again soon.

I don't know how many more opportunities Daniela will get to compete in a big event like this so it is such a pity she couldn't take part.

Hey guys,i have not such a great news to share with u..An MRI test this morning(i had to pull out yesterday before my match in Madrid because of the unbereable pain) showed that i have a stressfracture on my 9th rib..i do have a high level of tolerating the pain but this is worse then anything i ever experienced.

It means i will b out for sometime but i do promise i will do all i can to recover in the best way possible to b back doing i what love the most,which is palying tennis.

At the mean time i do hope u all r doing better then me and that u keep following our beautiful sport and the other girls and guys on the tour as its filled with so many incredible athletes!! #wta #atp #tennis #passion #acceptation #love

@ Daniela's facebook


This is serious. Daniela will be out for at least a couple of months so it's extremely unlikely that Daniela will be able to defend her points from Roland Garros so her ranking will take a hit as well and she's likely to miss Wimbledon as well. She's still showing her desire when she talks about coming back and playing so hopefully she's able to make a full recovery. This is a massive blow given her age and ranking. Daniela's in pain and she can't play and she's going to miss some huge tournaments so things do look bleak in the short term. Daniela had stress fractures in her feet and she was able to recover both times but she was never quite the same player when she came back. I hope she can comeback and I wonder what she's going to be like when she does. At this stage in her career she's playing for fun and enjoyment so as long as she recovers she can come back and play.



When is treatment without surgery appropriate and what does it entail?

Treatment without surgery is always the most appropriate first-line of treatment for a typical rib stress fracture. The key is “relative rest” which means don’t do anything that causes significant pain or discomfort. The goal is to let the rib rest so it can heal itself. If stress is continually placed on it, it never gets a chance to heal. This usually means a period of 4-6 weeks without throwing or weightlifting with the affected shoulder, but lower body workouts can usually be continued without interruption or they can be modified so they do not cause rib pain. Once there is no pain during regular activities, then light lifting and throwing, or other sport specific activities, can be gradually added. If pain recurs, then the athlete must back off again and give it more time.

Other important elements of treatment include analyzing the training program, rest, and body mechanics of the athlete to identify and correct any contributing factors. Also, the diet should be examined to make sure nutrition is appropriate.

If the athlete has a history of multiple stress fractures or if the fracture is not healing, it may be appropriate to do some blood tests or special imaging to make sure there are not other, systemic factors involved.

The time for healing may vary significantly between athletes and must be individualized and discussed with the athlete’s physician. If the stress fracture is not visible on x-rays, the athlete might return to full sports participation in 8-12 weeks. If the stress fracture has become a complete fracture, it may take 6-12 months.


Is surgery needed for rib stress fractures?

In the vast majority of cases, surgery is not needed. Even if the bone doesn’t heal, the athlete can usually get back to their sport without surgery and without pain. However, there are some unusual reported cases of the bone healing with such a large mass of bone (“callus”) that it impinges the underlying nerves and vessels and requires a “decompressive” surgery.



Treatment of Rib Stress Fractures
To the frustration of many athletes, there is often little that can be done for treatment of a rib stress fracture. Giving the ribs time to heal, and avoiding exertion, will allow the bone to recover, and the injury to completely heal. Trying to come back from the injury too soon, before adequate healing has occurred, can lead to prolonged symptoms of pain.

Every athlete wants to know how long the injury will take to heal. Unfortunately, there is no way to know for certain when the injury will be fully recovered, but most rib stress fractures will heal within 3 months, although some may take 6 months, or even longer, if athletes don't allow the ribs to adequately rest.

Often athletes can do other athletic activities without aggravating their healing stress fracture. For example, a rower may not be able to row without pain, but they may be able to do other activities to maintain their fitness such as cycling or swimming.

Do you honestly think she can still make the 600?

The 600 career wins is something you and I want, and many of her fans want. Without knowing for sure, I don't think it means all that much to Daniela. I don't see her as a milestone chaser. She has totally proven that she is playing because she loves to and wants to. All I want for this wonderful human being is to get out of pain and let this fully heal. Then, if she still wants to play, that would be great. Logically, this should end up giving her nearly zero chance for 600, since it would likely require 2 more full seasons. But, we all know, never put anything past Daniela!

Anyone else take note of the Bouchard/Sharapova drama, then Bouchard beating Kerber, and realize how little we miss all the immaturity and silliness of the WTA tour?

From her FB and Instagram posts, eddy, Daniela is keeping quite busy, seems to be enjoying herself, and is heavily into promoting her energy drink. I might be surprised if she waits that long. It has to happen sometime.