Reigning Olympic silver medalist in women’s singles, Marketa Vondrousova, has announced her withdrawal from the Paris Olympics 2024 due to a hand injury. The 2023 Wimbledon champion and Czech Republic star shared her decision on Instagram on Monday, expressing her disappointment but also her commitment to recovery in time for the US Open starting on August 26.
“I am very sorry, but due to health reasons, I will not be participating in this year’s Olympic Games in Paris. I hoped until the last moment that it could go at least in doubles, but the hand problems do not let me go on the court. I’m concentrating now to be okay at the US Open. I will keep my fingers crossed for all Czech representatives in France from a distance. Hopefully soon on the court,” Vondrousova stated in her post.
According to the WTA’s official website, Vondrousova had previously lost to Belinda Bencic in the gold medal match at the Tokyo Olympics. She was expected to compete in both the singles and doubles events in Paris, teaming up with Karolina Muchova as part of a strong Czech squad that also includes the new Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova, Linda Noskova, and Katerina Siniakova. The Olympic tennis events are set to begin on Saturday.
Vondrousova’s preparations for the upcoming tournaments were disrupted by a hip injury sustained during her match against Anna Kalinskaya at the Ladies Open in Berlin. This injury impacted her defense of the 2023 Wimbledon title, where she had made history as the first unseeded women’s player to win the title in the Open Era. However, in her return to Wimbledon this year, she was defeated in the first round by Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
Vondrousova also became the second player in the Open Era to lose in the first round of Wimbledon after winning the title, following Stefanie Graf’s unexpected exit in 1994. As a result of her early exit, she dropped from number six to 18 in the WTA rankings released last week after Wimbledon.
Despite the setback, Vondrousova remains focused on her recovery and is hopeful for a strong comeback at the US Open.
