Thomas Muster injured by a car driving on the wrong side
The story unfolds during the 1989 International Player's Championship, predecessor to the Miami Open in Key Biscayne. Less than two hours after coming back from a two sets to love deficit in his semifinal match against Yannick Noah, Thomas Muster was hit by a parked car while getting something from his car's trunk. The parked car was pushed by another car driven on the wrong side of the road by a drunk driver.
The impact was so violent that it severed two ligaments in his left knee, making the doctors wonder if Muster would even be able to walk again someday. That would be underestimating the Austrian, the now famous images of him hitting tennis balls with his left leg in a cast showed his will to fully recover and someday come back on the professional circuit.
Return to competition
Not only was Thomas Muster able to walk again following his serious injury, he was even able to return to competition. Only six months after his accident, he was back on his favorite surface : clay courts. He was quickly able to win two Challenger titles and an ATP event in Morocco before reaching the finals in Monte-Carlo, he was back at 100%.
A few weeks later, he crowned his return to competition by winning the Rome title, cruising past the Russian player Andre Chesnokov in the finals in less than two hours by the final score of 6-1, 6-3, 6-1. Here are some images of his accident and of his rehab.
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