Emil Ruusuvuori, a talented young player from Finland, achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 37 after winning ten Challenger titles and reaching a tour-level final in 2024, where he lost to Andrey Rublev at the Hong Kong Open. But over the last year, his career has come almost to a standstill, his ranking falling outside the top 700 due to a recurring back ailment that prevented him from playing with any real consistency.  

After suffering for 10 months, the 27-year-old has revealed that he underwent back surgery in New York and gave a complete account of what he was dealing with. Sharing the news on Instagram alongside photos from his hospital bed, Ruusuvuori explained why he had chosen to stay quiet about it until now. 

“So here we are. Surgery done in New York,” he wrote. “I haven’t really talked about what’s been going on behind the scenes, but with a successful surgery behind me it now feels like the right time to share.”

“For the past 10 months, I’ve been dealing with physical pain every day, not knowing what my back will allow me to do each day when I wake up,” Ruusuvuori added. “The mental challenge of living with the pain, not being able to move and compete the way I have for my whole life, and dealing with the uncertainty of what comes next has been tough, to say the least.”

The accompanying photos showed him first in his hospital bed shortly after the procedure, then taking early steps with the support of a walker, and finally an X-ray documenting the surgical hardware now in place in his spine.

The last match he played was on the Challenger circuit back in November 2025 in Italy, where he lost to Francesco Maestrelli in straight sets. His last match on the ATP tour came at the Stockholm Open, losing to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a tight three-set match. Ruusuvuori even played the US Open but was eliminated in the first round against Alexei Popyrin.

Surgery being the only option

Furthermore, the Finnish had clearly indicated that surgery was a last resort, having attempted nearly every other alternative. 

“After a long search for the best solution and trying more different ways than I can count, I’m really grateful that Sebastian Korda introduced me to Dr. Qureshi and his team,” he wrote, referring to orthopedic surgeon Dr. Sheeraz Qureshi. “Together, we decided that disc replacement was the best path forward in my situation. Extremely thankful to have been in such professional hands throughout this process.” 

Looking back at the past year’s timeline puts the size of the problem into perspective. Emil Ruusuvuori was relying on his protected ranking (PR) to secure entry into tournaments in 2026, a mechanism reserved for players returning from a long-term injury. But the Finnish player had to withdraw from the Australian Open at the last moment, despite entering the main draw through his PR, due to back issues. He was already ranked No. 574 at that point, and with no match record this season, he has slipped to near No. 900. 

On average, it takes around three to six months to recover from a surgery like that, but Ruusuvuori avoided setting a definite timeline for his return, opting to describe the recovery as a gradual process. 

“Now it’s all about taking things one step at a time and seeing where the rehab takes me,” he wrote. “Hopefully, a lot of the pain was left on that operating table, and soon I’ll be the one deciding what my days will look like again.” 

Surgery is always the last option for any athlete, and it’s always difficult for athletes to return to peak form after surgery. However, next time he steps on the court, he will be pain-free.