BEVERLY HILLS, June 02, (THEWILL) – The controversy surrounding the Press and the French Open, which resulted in world number two female player Naomi Osaka withdrawing from the Slam, took a weird turn on Tuesday when another female player was forced to withdraw after suffering a freak injury while on Press duties.
Petra Kvitova, the Czech professional tennis player admired for her powerful left-handed groundstrokes, had no choice but to withdraw from participating any further in French Open after hurting her ankle in a fall she had upon leaving a broadcast interview.
A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan on the ankle confirmed Kvitova’s worst fears and a withdrawal was the only option. The 11th seed put out a statement explaining her decision. It read: “It is with great disappointment that I announce my withdrawal from Roland Garros.
“During my post-match Press requirements on Sunday, I fell and hurt my ankle. Unfortunately, after an MRI and much discussion with my team, I have made the tough decision that it would be unwise to play on it. It’s incredibly bad luck, but I will stay strong and do my best to recover in time for the grass-court season.”
Kvitova’s withdrawal continues a dramatic series of events at this year’s French Open. It comes just a day after Osaka pulled out of the tournament amid a row about her decision not to attend the kind of Press Conference that Kvitova was present at before falling and damaging her ankle bad enough to withdraw.
In her first round match, the Czech played a tight contest against Belgian player Greet Minnen. She survived by saving a match point in the first round before rallying to clinch the match 6-7(3) 7-6(5) 6-1 and then going for that fateful post-match conference.
The 31 year-old must have been preparing to do better than she did at the last French Open, where she lost to Sofia Kenin, the American tennis player nicknamed “Sonya”, at the semi-finals. Kvitova, a two-time Grand Slam winner, has a preference for Wimbledon, where both her victories have come in 2011 and 2014.
Hopefully, Kvitova should have recovered enough to enter the next contest in the grass season, which begins next week in Nottingham, in central England’s Midlands region.
Her second round opponent in Paris, Russia’s Elena Vesnina, will go unchallenged into the third round. She has had mixed fortunes in Paris and has been having difficulty making it past the first round. This year, she finally won her first first-round match in three years by beating Olga Govortsova, the Belarusian.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
