Puig opens up about dealing with depression after Olympic gold win

Monica Puig will be returning to tour with a repaired elbow and refreshed approach to the game.

The 26-year-old from Puerto Rico had elbow surgery during the offseason but has yet to play, delaying her return by withdrawing from this week's challenger at Indian Wells.

Speaking to La Nacion, she said she has found it tough since winning gold at the 2016 Olympics. Though the win created a sensation in Puerto Rico and also got her a lot of attention within the game, it was also different from anything she had previously experienced on tour.

"It was hard for me to play again," she said. "I felt people expected a lot from me and I was not ready for that kind of success. "I hadn't gone that far in a Grand Slam, I had only won one tournament. I put a lot of pressure on myself."

That not only affected her on the court, but also off the court.

"I would read messages online—there could be 15 positive ones but I would read one negative, and it would bother me," she said. "I didn't feel like doing things. I was with my family and I couldn't enjoy it."

Similarly, Puig's elbow problems hampered her play in 2019 but then also started to affect her off the court in everyday activities, prompting her to have surgery. But Puig, who has also changed her team recently, notes that she's enjoying the game more since the injury.

"It was least needed with all the bad things that had happened. But the blow helped me reflect and start again. Now I'm appreciating tennis more," she said. "I want to start competing with the same desire again."

Puig is No. 87 in the rankings.