Marketa Vondrousova and Elena Rybakina retire from Berlin Ladies Open

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Published at :June 21, 2024 at 5:14 PM

Modified at :June 24, 2024 at 11:12 AM

Marketa Vondrousova and Elena Rybakina retire from Berlin Ladies Open

(Courtesy : X/@Wimbledon)

Marketa Vondrousova and Elena Rybakina have both won the Wimbledon Championships once.

Defending Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova was forced to retire during her second-round match in the Berlin Ladies Open on Thursday after she slipped in the first set.

Marketa Vondrousova, who defeated the likes of Elina Svitolina, Jessica Pegula, and Ons Jabeur to win the 2023 Wimbledon title as an unseeded player, is uncertain about defending her title at the grass-court Grand Slam.

Vondrousova defeated Spain’s Rebeka Masarova in the first round of the Berlin Ladies Open. In the second round, she faced Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya. However, in the ninth game of the first set, the Czech Republic international slipped on the grass court.

Marketa Vondrousova managed to stand up because she wanted to compete. She took a medical timeout as Anna Kalinskaya also checked on the defending Wimbledon champion. However, she wasn’t able to continue playing and was eventually forced to retire from the match.

Marketa Vondrousova slips on the grass while serving for the set against Kalinskaya in Berlin. It looks like she hurt her leg pretty badly. Anna walks over to check on her. She’s now receiving an off court medical time out. Hopefully she’s able to continue. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/XjKbhD00Sd
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 20, 2024

Apart from Marketa Vondrousova, former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina has also retired from the WTA 500 event due to illness. Rybakina secured a spot in the quarterfinals after she defeated Veronika Kudermetova in the round of 16.

Also Read: Wimbledon 2024: Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu, Angelique Kerber get wildcard entry

However, while facing Victoria Azarenka in the last eight, the Kazakh tennis star wasn’t feeling well. Thus, she decides to retire from the match. Elena Rybakina also withdrew from Indian Wells and the Italian Open earlier this year due to the same issues. Her situation is concerning for the tennis world, as the 2024 Wimbledon Championships are around the corner.

Elena Rybakina retired from her match against Victoria Azarenka in Berlin at 1-3 in the first set. She was dealing with some type of illness. Very concerning to see this with Wimbledon around the corner. She already had to withdraw from Indian Wells and Rome. Missing… pic.twitter.com/eAhJDohnPZ
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 21, 2024

Earlier this month, Aryna Sabalenka was also seen suffering some illness and pain while she faced Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals of the 2024 French Open. However, the Belarusian is back to tennis, and she will be facing Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Berlin Ladies Open.

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Shashank Tripathi

Shashank is a journalist at Khel Now covering Olympic sports. A Journalism and Mass Communication graduate, he’s a former national-level footballer and multi-sport athlete. A Liverpool fan since 2014, he idolizes Steven Gerrard and admires Rafael Nadal’s grit. Known for his accurate, well-researched reporting, Shashank also follows tennis, WWE, and taekwondo.