For Ana Bogdan, returning to the Transylvania Open main draw — where she played the 2024 final — coincides with her return to the WTA circuit after a six-month break.
At 33, Ana says she feels this comeback is the start of a “new chapter” in her tennis journey, one she believes will continue for another three years, with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games among her major goals.
“I missed this moment. I missed this tournament. Especially after such a long break, when I wasn’t sure what would come next,” says Ana, who hasn’t played an official match since July last year. Back then, she competed in Iași while struggling with knee pain and later discovered she had a cartilage tear and a partial meniscus tear.
“I also had severe ankle pain, and during the check-up, we saw that one of the ligaments was torn. But for a long time, I had already felt that I needed a break. I felt like I had reached burnout after Wimbledon in 2024.”
She could have stopped and frozen her ranking, but she chose to continue and play for Romania in the Billie Jean King Cup. After that, injured and exhausted, she had no choice but to step away.
“I somehow withdrew from the circuit, from that entire world. I didn’t watch tennis matches, I didn’t talk about tennis, I had nothing to do with tennis. I truly felt the need — mentally and physically — to take a break and rest. And it was a difficult period. The last two years have probably been the hardest of my career.”
Ana is now happy that the difficult time is behind her and that she made the decision to return in time for the sixth edition of the Transylvania Open — a tournament and a city she loves deeply, a place that has once again become home.
At home, Ana Bogdan will look to take her first steps back toward the level of tennis that Cluj fans have come to know and appreciate.
She will play her first-round match on Monday evening (not before 6:00 PM) against Polish qualifier Maja Chwalińska.
