Wimbledon Champion Vondrousova Faces Uncertainty After Injury

Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova encountered an injury scare less than two weeks before her title defense, slipping and injuring her right hip during her second-round match against Anna Kalinskaya at the Berlin Open. Vondrousova led 5-3 in the first set, then retired at 5-5, raising doubts about her upcoming Wimbledon defense. The 24-year-old created history as the first unseeded player to win the Wimbledon women’s singles title by defeating Ons Jabeur in the final. Kalinskaya, Vondrousova’s opponent in Berlin, will now face world number three Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Daria Kasatkina 6-1 6-4.

Berlin hosts eight of the world’s top 10 players, with only Iga Swiatek and Jasmine Paolini absent. Jabeur mounted a comeback to defeat Linda Noskova and will meet Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals. Gauff, aged 20, clinched a 7-6 (8-6) 6-2 victory over Ekaterina Alexandrova and is set to make her Olympic debut in Paris after missing the 2021 Tokyo Olympics due to a positive Covid-19 test. Meanwhile, at the Birmingham Classic, Czech second seed Barbora Krejcikova defeated Britain’s Harriet Dart 6-3 6-4. Additionally, British number one Katie Boulter secured a Wimbledon seeding after Elise Mertens retired due to injury during her match against Caroline Dolehide.

Looking ahead, former French Open finalist Karolina Muchova plans to return to competitive tennis at the Eastbourne International next week after a 10-month hiatus due to a wrist injury. Ranked 34th globally, Muchova underwent surgery in February following an injury sustained during the US Open semi-finals. Her focus is on regaining match fitness for Wimbledon and the Olympics, with the tennis event at the Olympics starting on the clay courts of Roland Garros on July 27. Muchova aims to compete in singles and potentially partner with Vondrousova in the women’s doubles at her debut Olympics.