Former Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova has withdrawn from the 2024 US Open, as she continues to struggle with her health.
The Czech player first announced herself to the wider tennis base in 2019 when she made the French Open final, losing to Ashleigh Barty. She was only 19 back then, and many thought a star was born.
It was a relatively heavy defeat to Barty, 1-6, 3-6, but the run overall was very impressive. A superstar from the Czech Republic isn't something new for tennis; we've seen numerous over the years, and she was described as the next one.
It wouldn't come to that, even though she did sustain her level for a while. The now 25-year-old was able to rise to number 14 on the WTA Tour back then, but bad form and injuries contributed to her fall.
She rediscovered her tennis in 2021 when she made a surprise run at the Olympics, finishing runner-up in Tokyo. She looked good at times, but another injury and surgery prevented her from playing a lot in 2022.
Vondrousova has been both very lucky and quite unlucky in her career. She produced some sensational tennis against all odds at the perfect time but then suffered a devastating injury that also cut her career momentum short.
One of the most amazing runs in recent memory came last year at Wimbledon, where she made the final. In the final, she beat overwhelming favorite Ons Jabeur to win her maiden Grand Slam title.
The most bizarre thing about that run is that she was never good on grass. By her admission, she expected a first-round exit. The good level continued for the rest of that year, so Vondrousova got a career-high ranking of number six and competed at the WTA Finals that year.
Unfortunately, as her career proved so far, regression was in store this year. More injuries and some personal life difficulties, such as the split from her husband and the passing of her grandfather, made life on the tennis courts and away from them very difficult for Vondrousova.
She didn't speak much about that, but it was clear from how she played that her mind was elsewhere. More recently, the Czech player failed to defend her Wimbledon trophy, which ensured her exit from the Top 10.
She then missed the Paris Olympics due to a hand issue that seems to be persisting. Vondrousova explained a few weeks ago that she hoped to play in Paris but wasn't able to recover in time for the Olympic Games.
We haven't seen her on the courts since Wimbledon, and that won't change in the next two weeks. Her official withdrawal from the 2024 US Open was confirmed by the tournament organizers, and that's not good news.
This means that her injury is still present, and there is no timetable for her return. It also means her ranking will keep tanking, as she's already out of the Top 20. Unfortunately, it's all too familiar for her, but the silver lining is that she knows how to be back.
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