Marketa Vondrousova, the silver medalist in tennis from the Tokyo Olympics, has announced her withdrawal from the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris due to a hand injury. This decision comes shortly after fellow player Hubert Hurkacz also confirmed he would not participate in the tournament, having sustained a knee injury during his match at Wimbledon earlier this month.
At just 25 years old, Vondrousova made headlines when she won Wimbledon last year as an unseeded player. She also reached the finals of the French Open in 2019, which will be the same venue for this summer’s Olympic tennis events. However, her recent performance has not been ideal; she was eliminated in the first round of Wimbledon this month, marking the first time since 1994 that a defending champion lost in the opening match.
In her social media statement, Vondrousova expressed that her focus is now on preparing for the US Open, set to begin at the end of August. She famously lost the Olympic final in Tokyo to Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic three years ago.
Currently ranked 18th in the world, Vondrousova would have been the 12th seed in Paris. She has been replaced in the singles competition by Katerina Siniakova. Additionally, Linda Noskova will compete in the doubles category alongside Karolina Muchova, who was a finalist at the French Open in 2023.
Hurkacz, who was expected to be the 7th seed at the Olympics, injured his right knee during a second-round match at Wimbledon on July 4. The injury occurred as he dove to return a shot in the fourth set against Arthur Fils. The match was delayed for several minutes while medical staff treated and bandaged his knee. Following the delay, Hurkacz attempted to resume play but was unable to continue.
Hurkacz’s best performance in a Grand Slam tournament came in 2021 when he reached the semifinals at Wimbledon. His victory over Roger Federer in the quarterfinals turned out to be the final match of the Swiss tennis legend’s illustrious career.
The draw for the Olympic tennis competition is scheduled for Thursday, with matches set to commence on Saturday.
For more updates, you can check out the official Olympic Games website.
More on Vondrousova’s Journey.
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