Bitter setback for Cedrik-Marcel Stebe: The Davis Cup player had to have a second right wrist operation within six months.
The 27-year-old left-hander from Mühlacker obviously does not expect a comeback this year. “The 2018 season is probably over for me. I’m now focusing on 2019. 110 percent of me want to be ready to compete again at a top level,” Stebe said these days via Instagram and Twitter.
The world rankings-178th presented a photo on which he can be seen lying in a hospital bed. The right arm is plastered and stabilized by a sling. Already at the Australian Open in January Stebe was affected by the problems. The clear defeat in Melbourne against his compatriot Maximilian Marterer was his last match on the professional tour so far.
But despite the setback, he hasn’t lost his sense of humor. “No, this is not a re-post from February”, wrote “Cedi” in the “moderation” and added: “I had to undergo another operation on my right wrist. I’m coming back stronger, like I always have.”
In the past, Stebe, who reached his best ATP ranking so far in February 2012 with 71st place, often had to struggle with injuries. After his Davis Cup debut six years ago, he had back problems, pubis inflammation, lumbar spine problems and groin surgery. He did not return to the tour until 2016 and made his comeback in the German Davis Cup team in Portugal in September 2017.