Nagging injuries, not defined timelines, rattled Caitlin Clark. She battled through recurring ailments, revealing the mental toll on her game.
WNBA star Caitlin Clark is nearing her first game played since July 15 with the Indiana Fever before her 2025 season was ended after 13 games. The Indiana Fever guard is among the participants in Team USA's mini-camp ahead of FIBA World Cup qualifying action in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her first game back is slated for March 11 against Senegal.
After dealing with a groin injury and a bone bruise in her left ankle, Clark last played a game on July 15, and her season ended after 13 appearances. Her season began with her managing an injury. She missed the first two weeks due to a quad strain, and, by her own admission, she may have played too soon rather than fully recovering.
"I felt like I put in so much time and so much energy going into last season, and then obviously I appeared in only about 13 games," Clark said. "And some of those probably weren't as healthy as I should've been."
The circumstances Clark dealt with throughout last season were more challenging than a typical injury. She was tireless in her efforts to play, but further complications from injury prevented it.
"I think that played with my mind even more than knowing I would be out for a set period of time," she said. "I was always trying to come back and always trying to come back, and then I'd get hurt in another way."
Clark took some comfort in knowing the injuries never worsened.
"It's not like I hurt my knee or tore my Achilles, or something like that, knock on wood," she said. "It was these kind of nagging injuries that would build up and build up, and dealt with one on top of the other."
After the first Team USA practice, Clark was encouraged by her performance.
"Honestly, I was impressed with how with it I felt," Clark said. "Sometimes, I thought maybe it would take me a day or two to really get my first step back. But I felt like myself out there, just remind myself of who I am, what I've been and I didn't lose that."
With conditioning her remaining focus, Clark and Team USA open qualifying March 11 against Senegal. The Americans will follow that with games against Puerto Rico, Italy, New Zealand, and Spain, with tip-off times for the final four contests still to be announced.
The roster also saw late changes. Monique Billings and Rae Burrell were added this week to replace Aliyah Boston and Sonia Citron, both of whom suffered lower-body injuries during the Unrivaled season.
For Clark, the roster moves are secondary. After everything she dealt with in 2025, she just wants to get back on the court and play.