Marketa Vondrousova leaves Adelaide in tears after another injury setback

Marketa Vondrousova was forced to withdraw from her match against Diana Shnaider at the Adelaide International after sustaining another injury. The 25-year-old Czech, who had not played an official match since Wimbledon 2024, had been making an impressive comeback after more than six months away from competition.

The 2023 Wimbledon champion had started the tournament with a hard-fought victory, defeating former world No. 10 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (No. 28) in the opening round, 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-2. She was leading her second-round match against world No. 13 Diana Shnaider 6-4, 1-1 when she requested a medical time-out that ultimately led to her retirement from the match.

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In 2024, Vondrousova underwent shoulder surgery to address the recurring injuries that have plagued her career. Additionally, she suffered a hip injury during the grass-court swing last year after a fall while playing against Anna Kalinskaya at the Berlin Ladies Open.

This time, Vondrousova appeared to experience back pain during the medical time-out. Despite treatment from the physiotherapist, she was unable to continue and tearfully left the court, giving Shnaider a walkover to the quarterfinals.

The severity of the injury remains unclear, but doubts loom over Vondrousova’s participation in the Australian Open. Her visible distress during the medical time-out and as she left the court in tears has raised concerns. Shnaider, meanwhile, advances to face Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in the quarterfinals.

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