“The doctors told me this is not going to keep me from being No 1, if treated right” – Eva Lys opens up about playing tennis with spondyloarthritis
The German was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition in 2020 and says she only now feels prepared to manage it
Eva Lys, Roland-Garros 2025
Image Credit: Matthieu Mirville/ZUMA Press Wire)
Germany’s Eva Lys burst into the mainstream tennis spotlight in January when she made it to the Australian Open fourth round as a lucky loser, the first time that any lucky loser had gone that far in Melbourne in the Open Era.
The 23-year-old broke into the top 100 for the first time after that lucky run in Melbourne and has been building on that good fortune since. Lys qualified and won a round at the WTA 1000 event in Dubai and further won a round in WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome to build up her ranking to a career-high of No 59.
But it’s not all been good fortune for Lys, who recently revealed that she has been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, spondyloarthritis, in 2020. After winning her first round match at Roland-Garros, a straight sets win over 28th seed Peyton Stearns for her first career main draw win in Paris, the German was honest to admit that it took her a while to come to terms with her condition.
“It (the diagnosis) took a while for me because I had a variety of symptoms, but they didn’t come at the same time so we didn’t really know. I’m having my doctor back home in Hamburg. He’s been with me since I’m 10 years old. I wouldn’t be able to play tennis out him. After evaluating the issues I’ve been having, he had this theory that it might be going into the arthritis, spondyloarthritis, direction,” Lys said.
“As soon as I heard it, I was just laughing about it. I’m like, Okay, I’m pretty young, I don’t think it’s going to be me. After we talked with the doctors and did some tests and everything, the diagnosis was there. I think the first weeks it was weird ’cause I wasn’t really, like, acknowledging it. Again, I’ve had around that time my worst issues. I was not on court. I was not able to play with it.”
I would say this is the first year that I actually can say that I know how to deal with it..
The German revealed that getting the right diagnosis was important for her as it helped her learn what she needs to do to get back on court.
“I think the diagnosis was really important for me just to know what to do to get back on court. I think the doctors told me this is not going to keep me from being No. 1, if treated right. So I was always thinking about it. The first months were tough. But I had a great family. I had great friends around me, and still do, which definitely helped me to go through this not by myself.”
Lys says that although the diagnosis came a few years ago, she has only been feeling prepared to deal with her conditions and its effects this year.
“I’m going to be honest, the diagnosis came 2020. We’re in 2025. I would say this is the first year that I actually can say that I know how to deal with it, know how to deal with the practices I have, how hard I can push, when is the time to really just relax. Especially also in the last weeks, I’m not going to lie, I’ve had just days where my body was not doing what it’s supposed to. Even like preparing here, maybe one or two practices less, ’cause it’s something I have to do. But I know that if I give my body time, it recovers. The next day I’m stronger than ever. I just need to find the right balance with regeneration and the practice process.”
The German is feeling confident about her game after her first round performance and as she continues to get better at managing her off-court challenges, the on-court challenges won’t stop. Up next for Lys is the red-hot Canadian teen Viktoria Mboko and at stakes is a place in the third round of the French Open.
