Marketa Vondroudova Announces Break From Tennis Due To Continuing Injury
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2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova is stepping away from tennis to manage a shoulder injury she has battled with since last year.
Because of that problem, Vondrousova missed all the tournaments in 2024 after Wimbledon. Her last match of that year was losing in the opening round of her title defense against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.
The Czech returned at the start of this season and has managed some good victories. That included beating Emma Raducanu in the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open opening round, where she reached the quarterfinals.
Unfortunately, Vondrousova has revealed that her shoulder never fully healed and was still causing her problems. She announced her decision to take some time away from tennis to rehabilitate her shoulder in an Instagram story.
"Stepping out of the court again. I am still struggling with a shoulder injury. Although it's not easy, I now have a few months of intensive training and rehabilitation to get my arm back together. Patience and time are my priorities right now, but I believe it will all be worth it. So hopefully back on the court soon. Thank you everyone for the support."
At this stage, Vondrousova has no idea when she will be back but hopes it can be as soon as possible. Hopefully, the decision can help her recover fully this time and return to playing the tennis that has entertained millions of fans worldwide.
While most of those who responded to Vondrousova were supportive, there are always some people on social media who make the lives of professional athletes harder than they need to be. That was demonstrated by one user who took issue with her making the announcement in English instead of her mother tongue.
The account's nasty reply led to Vondrousova sharing it on her story, ironically captioning it with "I love people." Sadly, handling that kind of unpleasantness is something all professional tennis players face.
Vondrousova was among many notable names who withdrew from the ongoing 2025 Indian Wells Open. 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens was given a wild card, but had to withdraw because of a foot injury.
That prevented Stephens from trying to end her ten-match losing streak in Indian Wells. The last 10 months since securing the WTA Rouen Open title in April have been the most challenging of the American's career.
It seemed like Nick Kyrgios might join her and others by withdrawing after footage of him struggling with his troublesome wrist during a practice session circulated online. He had to end the session early.
However, Kyrgios confirmed that he intended to play his opening round match against Botic van de Zandschulp despite being realistic about how much that wrist problem will continue to trouble him in the future.
There are many other intriguing storylines to follow in Indian Wells. Coco Gauff, who attended the 2025 Oscars in a glamorous yellow dress, will play her first match of the tournament on Saturday after receiving a bye as a seeded player.
Gauff is currently on a three-match losing streak after struggling during the Middle Eastern swing. The 20-year-old might be happy to play in front of a home crowd as she seeks to end that run.
