Paris Olympics: Tokyo silver medallist Vondrousova withdraws due to injury
Tokyo Olympics tennis silver medallist Marketa Vondrousova withdrew from the Paris Games on Monday, July 22 because of a hand injury.
The 25-year-old from the Czech Republic won Wimbledon last year despite being unseeded and was the runner-up at the French Open — played at Roland Garros, the same site being used for tennis matches at these Summer Games — in 2019.
She is coming off a first-round exit at Wimbledon this month, the first woman since 1994 to lose her opening match a year after winning the title at the All England Club. Vondrousova posted on social media about pulling out of the Olympics, saying that her focus now is on being ready for the US Open, which starts in late August.
She was the runner-up to Belinda Bencic of Switzerland at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. Vondrousova is currently ranked No. 18 in the world and would have been seeded No. 12 in Paris.
The draw for the Olympics tennis competition is scheduled for Thursday, and matches begin on Saturday.
Paris Olympics 2024: Full Coverage
Vondrousova’s Wimbledon Exit
Marketa Vondrousova’s title defence in Wimbledon 2024 came to an early end on Tuesday, July 2. The defending champion lost to unseeded Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in straight sets (4-6, 2-6) in an hour and 7 minutes. It was the first Grand Slam main draw win for Maneiro, who punched the air in delight after holding her serve for a momentous win.
For the first time since Steffi Graff was knocked out by Lori McNeil in 1994, a defending champion has been shown the door in the opening round of the women’s singles competition at Wimbledon. Vondrousova looked out of sorts in the opening round in which she made 28 unforced errors. Vondrousova, who reached the quarter-final of Roland Garros last month, could not progress past the second round in Berlin in the only grass court tournament she played in the season.
Marketa Vondrousova looked dejected as she went up to the net to shake hands with Jessica Bouzas, who was thrilled after a sensational show on the Center Court. Vondrousova hit seven double faults. Jessica broke Vondrousova’s serve five times during the course of what turned out to be a one-sided affair.