For Azzi Fudd, Prioritizing Mental Health Was the Key to Overcoming Physical Injuries

Sports have been a longstanding pillar of our society. They're not just a means of entertainment or a way to promote physical fitness—they're an opportunity to bring people together. A shared passion for the game, collective pride for a team, and a sense of belonging are some of the best things sports have to offer. And while sports fans of opposing teams may have their differences, they do agree on one thing: Injuries are the hardest things to experience (or witness) on the court.

Azzi Fudd is no stranger to this testament. The 22-year-old standout from the University of Connecticut (UConn) women's basketball team experienced her first injury even before stepping foot on a college campus. Fudd first (yeah, we said first) tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL)—which support and stabilize your knee joint—during her junior year of high school while playing in a 3-on-3 basketball tournament. While surgery and rehab kept Fudd off the court for nearly nine months, she was ready to go before committing to play for UConn in 2020. However, her junior year of college also brought woes, when she experienced another season-ending ACL tear during practice.

But there's good news to this story, too. Fudd returned to the lineup a year later and was recently named to the 2025 All-Big East First Team—an honor that recognizes the best players in the conference. And while Fudd's list of accolades continues to grow, it didn't come without resilience, mental toughness, and belief in herself, especially in times of injury.

We sat down with Fudd to talk about her injury battles and everything she did (and is doing)—mentally and physically—to come back stronger than ever and help her team try to win it all in this year's March Madness tournament.

The emotional toll of injuries

Most athletes are well aware of the possibility of injuries in their sport, and Fudd knew the difficult road through rehab that lay ahead when she went down with her first knee injury. The emotional toll that it would take? Not so much.

"The rehab process certainly sucks but that’s what we as athletes have done our whole lives," Fudd tells Well+Good. "But when I went through my first injury, realizing how hard it was mentally was such a shock that I honestly wasn't prepared for."'

In a 2020 Instagram post, Fudd explained the emotional challenges of not being able to play with her team. "Even though I wasn’t playing, I still traveled with my AAU team. Every tournament was hard to watch," she wrote. "Social media was hard to go on. I had to delete my Instagram because I couldn’t stand watching one more highlight or basketball clip."

Taking a social media break, turning to her loved ones for support, expressing gratitude for the positive things her life, and remembering her purpose eventually made jumping over the hurdle easier.

Resilience is a family affair

Even when Fudd wasn't on the court, recovering from injury required her to keep her head in the game. But, she didn't do it alone. Fudd's parents, Tim Fudd and Katie Smrcka-Duffy Fudd, both played college basketball, with her mom later being drafted by the Sacramento Monarchs in the WNBA. From a young age, Fudd's parents instilled in her the importance of hard work, resilience, and effort—all of which would come in handy during rehab.

"When I first started playing basketball, I was in first grade. After my team practice, we would stay for like 10 minutes extra so I could just go around and shoot some more—whether it was 50 shots, 100 shots," Fudd says. She later questioned the need for these extra practices. "I remember at one point, we were going to the gym before my practice to do a workout and I asked my mom, 'Why are we doing this? I have practice later,' and she said, 'You need to make sure you're working on your own skills outside of team practices.'"

What started as being pushed by her parents turned into an important lesson to strive for improvement as she grew up, even if it was challenging. And that wisdom rang even more true when dealing with the mental health aspects of injuries.

Her mental health journey

Not being able to play came with one small silver lining: It allowed Fudd the opportunity to take a step back and learn how to take care of her mind, not just her body. Eventually, she found a cocktail of self-care practices that worked for her.

Reaching out to her support system was one of them. "My family, friends, teammates, and just everyone around me has been super supportive of everything I've gone through," Fudd says. "So, when I'm having those tough days and it feels like I'm drowning, just having people around you that can support you, and you can lean on and be vulnerable with is so important."

Fudd explains that keeping in touch with her circle of support, whether in person or on the phone, helped her release the pent-up emotions, like sadness and anger, that came alongside her injuries. She finds it necessary for people to have an outlet to let it all out and be themselves.

She also handled all the ups and downs by talking, writing, and praying it out. "I started talking to someone and that has helped tremendously, which I wish I would have started doing sooner," Fudd says. "I've also been journaling a bit on and off and have some old journal entries that I was reading the other day to see just how far I've come. But also having my faith, and building my relationship with God has helped me put my life into perspective."

How she takes care of herself now

Despite how difficult her journeys through each of her injuries have been, she's learned that taking care of herself only makes her better for her teammates, too. "It’s so easy to get caught up in the rehab process, basketball, and classes, so to take a moment and just set a little time aside each day or a couple times a week to do something for yourself goes a long way," she says. These days, Fudd has many different wellness practices in her repertoire that allow her to prioritize herself.

By nurturing physical recovery

After enduring injuries, Fudd knows that rest and recovery are essential for your body. "I've learned the hard way how important it is to take care of your body and that doesn't mean just when your body's hurting or not feeling well," she says. To optimize recovery, she likes to stretch, go into the sauna, take Epsom salt baths, and still get in a quick workout at the gym.

By feeding the soul

Fudd loves a good meal, and breakfast foods are her absolute favorite. "I love to eat, and I don't cook as much during the season. But, we have a great kitchen at our gym, so I'll eat some good food there," she says. "I'll also go to my grandparent's house get a good meal in or have a little sweet treat that I've been craving."

By spending time with loved ones

Making time for the people in her life is an essential priority for Fudd. "I like FaceTiming with one of my friends, talking to someone that I miss and haven't talked to in a while, hanging out with my teammates, and calling my mom."

By making time for fun

Fudd takes her craft very seriously. But at the end of the day, she's just another college kid looking to have some fun, too. And she makes sure she gets it. She loves to read when she gets the time to and take walks on a sunny day—which aren't available in abundance in Connecticut. "I also love hanging out with the girls," she says. "We have a bunch of movie nights; we love horror and thriller movies, especially like psychological thrillers, so I’ll take recommendations anytime." (Ahem, this is your sign to DM her your list of favorite horror movies.)

But if there's one piece of wellness advice she wants you to remember, it's this: "The season gets so busy and so hectic that you have to make sure you find time for the little things." So whatever busy season you're in, whether it's in a sport or just in life, always take a moment to find some joy.