"Beating a mother that has child to feed just to withdraw next match?" "Bring back Naomi Osaka": Karolina Pliskova's Qatar Open withdrawal amuses fans

Karolina Pliskova withdrew from her semifinal match against Iga Swiatek at the 2024 Qatar Open, handing the Pole her third consecutive final berth at the tournament.

The WTA announced that Pliskova had decided not to play in the semifinal match in Doha due to a lower back injury. This came after the Czech won nine consecutive matches on the tour. She came to the Gulf Country after winning the WTA 250 Transylvania Open last week, her first title since the 2020 Brisbane International, after beating Romanian star Ana Bogdan in the final.

Pliskova was scheduled to play the very next day after the final in Cluj Napoca and rushed to Doha to compete in the first round. Pliskova was up to the task and defeated Anna Kalinskaya, Anastasia Potapova, Linda Noskova and Naomi Osaka to reach the semifinals of the Qatar Open.

Karolina Pliskova's first three matches in Doha were hard-fought three-set victories, and against Osaka, she had to win two tiebreakers. Exhaustion seemed to have taken its toll on the 31-year-old's body, forcing her to withdraw.

Tennis fans reacted to Pliskova's decision and joked that Naomi Osaka should now be brought back into the competition to play against Iga Swiatek. Some even suggested that Pliskova should have given a walkover one match before. Others sympathized with the Czech, calling her withdrawal "understandable."

"Beating a mother that has child to feed just to withdraw the next match? Plishy u shitlisted for this," a fan wrote.

"IF YALL DON'T DRAG NAOMI FROM THE AIRPORT RIGHT NOW," commented another fan.

"Beating a mother just for fun and giving Igor a day off after that???" a fan said.

"The most understandable walkover of all time," stated another fan.

Here are more fan reactions to Karolina Pliskova's withdrawal:

Karolina Pliskova on Qatar Open withdrawal: "The schedule of last two weeks was too difficult to recover"

Karolina Pliskova

Karolina Pliskova communicated with fans her decision to withdraw from the Qatar Open semifinal via a post on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The Czech stated that her body did not get enough time to recover after a hectic schedule over the past two weeks.

Pliskova added that she will undergo an MRI scan to better understand her physical state and hopes to be back on the court soon. She also thanked her fans for their support.

"Unfortunately my body couldn't compete today in semifinals.. the schedule of last two weeks was too dificult to recover from all these tough matches. I have an MRI scan tomorrow. Hope to be back on court soon 🌝 Thank you for all the support I got last weeks ✌️🫰♥️," Pliskova tweeted.

The former World No. 1 is set to appear on court at the WTA 1000 Dubai Tennis Championships next week. She reached the final of the tournament in 2015, losing to Simona Halep in the final. Coincidentally, she reached the quarterfinals last year but withdrew from the match against Iga Swiatek.