Injured Krejcikova Faces Time Shortfall Ahead of Wimbledon

EASTBOURNE, THURSDAY – Less than a week before the Wimbledon Grand Slam, Barbora Krejcikova suffered a thigh injury. To avoid the possibility of missing Wimbledon as the defending women's singles champion, Krejcikova canceled her participation in the WTA 250 Eastbourne quarterfinals.

His resignation was announced just a few hours before the match taking place at the Devonshire Park Lawn Tennis Club, Eastbourne, England, Thursday (26/6/2025). The Czech tennis player was supposed to face Varvara Gracheva.

Thus, Gracheva continues her journey without a match to face Alexandra Eala in the semifinals on Friday. The other semifinal features Maya Joint and Anastasia Pavkyuchenkova.

"I apologize for having to withdraw today. My right thigh feels stiff and is getting worse. With Wimbledon just a few days away, it is better for me to rest and try to improve my condition," said Krejcikova.

The world number 17 tennis player suffered a right thigh injury during the second round against the host player, Jodie Burrage, on Wednesday. However, Krejcikova was still able to endure a tight match and won with a score of 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (3).

After the match, her pain worsened to the point that Krejcikova decided not to continue her appearance in order to compete at Wimbledon, from June 30 to July 13. Krejcikova is the defending champion at Wimbledon after defeating Jasmine Paolini in the 2024 final.

Their presence in the final match was a surprise with the elimination of top seeds such as Iga Swiatek in the third round and Cori "Coco" Gauff in the fourth round. Aryna Sabalenka did not compete due to injury. Among those favored to win, Elena Rybakina achieved the best result, reaching the semifinals.

However, after winning that prestigious tennis tournament, Krejcikova faced a difficult journey in the WTA Tour competition. She was eliminated in the second round of the US Open, approximately 1.5 months after Wimbledon, and only began the 2025 competition season in May due to a back injury. On the clay courts of Roland Garros, Paris, Krejcikova was defeated by Veronika Kudermetova in the second round.

I apologize for having to withdraw today. My right thigh is stiff and getting worse.

Her career journey has not been much different since winning the 2021 French Open. The best results in Grand Slam events thereafter were three quarter-finals from 12 tournaments until winning Wimbledon 2024. With her fitness condition not optimal leading up to Wimbledon 2025, Krejcikova will find it challenging to defend her title.

Before appearing in Eastbourne, she had only won once out of three matches. This statistic is vastly different from her competitors, such as Sabalenka, who won 42 out of 50 matches.

She won four tournaments, one of which was when she defended her title at the Australian Open. Sabalenka also reached the final of another Grand Slam, the French Open. Coco will also compete at Wimbledon with the title of Grand Slam, which she obtained from the French Open. Currently, they are at the All England Club and are training at the venue for Wimbledon.

Meanwhile, three tennis players ranked in the top ten in the world will compete in the semifinals of the WTA Bad Homburg in Germany on Friday. Paolini (ranked fourth) will face Iga Swiatek (eighth), while Jessica Pegula (third) will confront Linda Noskova.

The semifinal could have featured a competition among four top ten ranked tennis players had Mirra Andreeva (7) not been eliminated in the quarterfinals. Andreeva lost with a score of 3-6, 3-6.

The tennis players competed in the quarterfinals under cold weather and strong gusts of wind. This forced them to showcase their skills in controlling their shots, as the ball could drift in directions contrary to their intentions.

The match between Swiatek and Ekaterina Alexandrova was even halted in the middle of the second set due to rain. "Today was a test of our ability to adapt to the weather because throughout the match, the wind was strong. We tried our best to manage that, but also to be careful not to make too many mistakes," said Swiatek, who won 6-4, 7-6 (5).

After overcoming that difficult situation, Swiatek will attempt to maintain her 4-0 winning record against Paolini. However, unlike previous encounters, this competition will take place on grass for the first time, a type of surface that has been a weakness for Swiatek.

Another aspect that the owner of five Grand Slam titles must be wary of is Paolini's ability to perform better in each encounter. In their most recent meeting, during the semifinals of the Billie Jean King Cup in November 2024, Paolini pushed the match to three sets despite losing 6-3, 4-6, 4-6. The other three losses were experienced in two sets.

Meanwhile, at the All England Club, tennis stars are making use of the remaining time before the tournament to practice. Those who have been there for training and participating in various sponsor-related activities include Sabalenka, Coco, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic.

Some of them even practiced together, as did Alcaraz and Djokovic on the Main Court on Thursday. They are the two men's singles players who have consistently reached the finals in the last two editions. The court, with its still pristine grass surface, became the venue where Alcaraz won the Wimbledon titles in 2023 and 2024.

Previously, Djokovic trained alongside Sabalenka at Aorangi Park, which is also used as a practice court for Wimbledon participants. Meanwhile, the women's singles finalists of 2022 and 2023, Ons Jabeur, trained with Paula Badosa.

The draw for the world's oldest tennis tournament will take place Friday afternoon local time or evening Indonesian time. (ap/afp)