Rachel Stuhlmann Is Welcoming The New Year With Open Arms

It's been a month since Rachel Stuhlmann popped up on social media wearing a neck brace with a major life update. The world's No. 1 ranked tennis influencer, the Paige Spiranac of tennis, shocked the influencing world with news that she had undergone neck surgery.

It turns out that a car accident left her in need of disc replacement. She announced on social media, "Brace yourself.. not my usual post🤣 but wanted to share a life update- not too long ago I was in a car wreck. I underwent anterior cervical disc replacement surgery to remove the C5-C6 disc in my neck and replace it with an artificial disc."

Rachel Stuhlmann, the Paige Spiranac of tennis, attends Citi Taste of Tennis Miami 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images for AYS)

"I'm extremely thankful to my surgeon @drkimspinemd and the entire New York City @hspecialsurgery staff for taking the best care of me and making this process as successful as possible."

That's not her usual post indeed. Neck surgery isn't an insignificant procedure. But Rachel was determined following the procedure to get back to 100% and she was going to lean on her experience playing competitive tennis to get her through it.

She added, "As I begin the healing process and physical therapy journey, I'm feeling encouraged, determined, and eager to lean into some qualities that I haven't tapped into since my competitive playing career 10 years ago.🎾 "

"Thanking God for a successful surgery🙏🙏🙏 And a huge thank you to my amazing family and friends, and everyone who reached out and kept my spirits up. This isn't a setback! It's just all part of the comeback and I can't wait to be feeling 100% again!❤️"

Rachel Stuhlmann Is Easing Her Way Into The New Year As She Recovers

Since the procedure, as you might expect, Rachel's been quiet on the influencing front. Likely working towards the comeback as she focuses on healing and physical therapy.

She checked in a couple of weeks after her surgery, did some 2024 calendar promoting, and dusted off her Mizzou letter jacket as her Tigers took care of Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

There was no heavy lifting or a hint at a return to leading the sport of tennis. That was until Wednesday afternoon, when Rachel sent out a promising message that was felt across social media.

Rachel announced, "Welcoming 2024 with open arms!🤗 I have a feeling this is going to be one of the craziest, most exciting, and most important years for our sport.🎾 Excited to embrace it all!🥰"

That certainly caught the attention of OutKick's Culture Department. Was Rachel making an unprecedented return to action just a few weeks after surgery?

I had to know, so I reached out. I asked how her recovery was going and if she had any plans for the upcoming year that she'd like to share.

Rachel responded by keeping things close to the vest. She's simply said, "Taking a little break to start the year."

The Paige Spiranac Of Tennis Isn't Going Anywhere

That's certainly understandable. The worst case scenario is she gets back out there too soon and suffers a setback. Nobody wants to see that, especially not this early on in the year.

As she said, this is going to be a huge year for the sport of tennis and she's going to be in the middle of the action.

While Rachel didn't share any news with me on anything she has planned this year, she did provide an update a couple of months ago on projects she's been working on and some things to look forward to in 2024.

Here's to a full recovery and another year of keeping her top spot in the world of tennis influencing.