Linda Fruhvirtova suffered a horrific fall during a first-round match at the 2023 Wimbledon against Petra Martic.
After experiencing the main draw of every Grand Slam tournament on the WTA Tour, the 18-year-old Czech prodigy made her maiden appearance also in the All England Club, competing at the 2023 Wimbledon.
In the first round of the competition, Fruhvirtova, who was backed as the future of women's tennis along with her sister, took on the 30th-seeded Petra Martic from Croatia in what was their first meeting on the WTA Tour after playing in Monastir last year.
The match proved to be a real battle as both players displayed great level. In the opening set, more experienced Martic proved to be the better player, winning it 7-5 after players traded multiple breaks.
But the second set was a much more intense battle. The Czech player led 5-3 and served for the set, but after failing to serve out the set, it had to be decided in a tie-break, which Fruhvirtova needed to win if she wanted to take the match into the decider.
Leading 6-3, Fruhvirtova's hopes were high, but soon she would experience a really nasty fall. Chasing one of the balls at 6-4, the Czech fell to the ground, seemingly injuring her left knee as she chased the ball.
She immediately fell to the ground and the screams suggested that she was in a lot of pain. Shocked from what happened, the 18-year-old didn't want to stand up, electing to wait for the doctor, sitting on the court.
Her opponent, Petra Martic, showed great sportsmanship as she came to check on her opponent, even sitting next to her so the young Czech teenager doesn't feel lonely in a really difficult moment on her Wimbledon debut.
The doctor soon arrived to the court and Furhvirtova received a treatment, as she seemed to be able to continue. With a 6-5 lead and a ball in her hand to serve, her hopes were high as she could have won an easy point to seal the set and give herself some extra time.
And that's exactly what happened as the Czech player won a point after her serve, winning the tie-break 7-5 and taking the second set. Yet, she wasn't able to follow up on that success in the third set as Martic broke her serve early as Fruhvirtova seemed to struggle with her movement.
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