Mattek-Sands navigates long road back from injury

Unfortunately for a player who owns eight Grand Slam tennis titles, Bethanie Mattek-Sands is remembered by many for her 2017 injury at Wimbledon.

Mattek-Sands was in a second-round singles match against Sorana Cirstea when she collapsed on Court 17 of the All-England Club, clutching her right knee and screaming for help. She had a dislocated kneecap and ruptured patellar tendon.

What Mattek-Sands identified as a career-defining moment came a few days after the injury.

"I told myself I had a couple of options," said Mattek-Sands, a 34-year-old American. "I had an option to be positive and view my opportunity to keep my attitude the way I was before the injury, or I had a chance to feel sorry for myself and be angry."

Her resolve to look at the positive side was rewarded in September, 14 months after the gruesome injury, when she and Jamie Murray won the U.S. Open mixed doubles championship.

For Mattek-Sands, who will play for Team Americas in the Aurora Games Aug. 20-25 at Times Union Center, it was her third Grand Slam mixed title to go with five women's doubles trophies, all with Lucie Safarova.

She said it was the little things leading up to the U.S. Open victory that made the difference.

"I did a little dance with Lucie after my surgery," Mattek-Sands said. "I view that as one of the biggest wins of my career because it was probably the most challenging decision I had to make. That was more challenging than all the rehab that went into coming back and winning that U.S. Open.

"As far as end result, it was something I saw for myself. Maybe not right after the injury, that was too far away to visualize myself coming back. It was the small wins that added up. I'm proud of myself for giving myself those small wins. Without that, I don't think I would have gotten to...