Defending champion in doubt for Wimbledon after horror Berlin tumble

Reigning Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova has suffered a major injury scare ahead of the return to SW19 after she was forced to retire at the Berlin Open.

The Czech was a surprise winner of her first grand slam title last summer, but she sustained a nasty fall behind the baseline in her second-round match against Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya at the grass court event in the German city.

Vondrousova was leading 5-3 at the time of the injury and would get up gingerly and keep holding her right hip area, she took an off-court medical time-out but would not be able to complete the match despite coming back out.

After the medical break, she returned with heavy strapping and played two more games but lost both before shaking hands with Kalinskaya and conceding the match.

As is traditional for the defending champion, Vondrousova is set to play her opening match at the All England Club on Centre Court on 2 July, the second day of the Championships. She will have less than two weeks to recover ahead of her Wimbledon title defence.

Kalinskaya progressed to the last eight in Berlin and will now face either second seed Aryna Sabalenka or compatriot Daria Kasatkina.

Vondrousova’s predecessor as Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina, made it through to the quarter-finals in Berlin with a 6-4 7-5 victory over Veronika Kudermetova.

Rybakina fought hard to sweep to a clinical victory and after a solid start to the season will be among the contenders at the culmination of the grass swing.

“I think in the key moments I served a little bit better and some better decisions here and there,” Rybakina said on court. “But it was a close match.”

Having gained her 10th quarterfinal of the season, Rybakina goes on to face former world No 1 Victoria Azarenka on Friday.

A win would secure her first grass-court semifinal since she won Wimbledon in 2022.

Rybakina kept the heat on Kudermetova throughout their 1-hour and 33-minute match.

The top ten star generated 11 break points while facing just three on her own serve.

Rybakina broke first to snatch a 2-0 lead early but was broken back when she served for the set at 5-3.

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However, She resplied with her second break of the match to claim the opening set.

Kudermetova built a 3-1 lead early in the second set but found Rybakina just would not go away.

Rybakina would close out the win by levelling the set and then, with Kudermetova serving to force a tiebreak, broke her opponent’s serve for a fourth time to seal a spot in her first quarterfinal in Berlin.

Rybakina ended the match with a tally of 18 winners, including five aces, to 16 unforced errors, playing an aggressive game that paid off.

The victory improved Rybakina’s record against Kudermetova to a dominant 5-0.

She will be out for a repeat against Azarenka, against whom she is also undefeated at 4-0.