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Karolina Muchova's campaign at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships came to an unfortunate end after she suffered an injury during her first-round match against Jule Niemeier, much to the dismay of her fans.
The 2023 French Open finalist made a slow start to her campaign at the grasscourt Major, losing the first set 6-4. However, she bounced back strongly to claim the second set and force a decider.
The clash was looking poised to continue in the same thrilling fashion when Karolina Muchova suffered a fall in the fourth game of the third set. The 26-year-old received medical attention and returned to the court with a heavily strapped right thigh. Her movement was visibly hampered for the remainder of the match, allowing Niemeier to sail to a 6-4, 5-7, 6-1 victory.
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Muchova's struggles with injuries date back to her seven-month-long layoff from the tour in 2021-2022 due to an abdominal issue. The Czech's run at the 2022 French Open came to an unfortunate end after she picked up an ankle injury during her third-round match against Amanda Anisimova.
Muchova's fairytale run to the final of the 2023 edition of the claycourt Major sparked delight among tennis fans given her history of injury struggles. However, fans suffered heartbreak once more as the 26-year-old picked up another injury at Wimbledon 2023.
"I don't know how many heartbreaking Karolina Muchova injuries I have left in me," one fan tweeted.
"God that's rough for Muchova. Injured AGAIN at the worst timing. I hope it's not serious and that she can get back out there again soon, so unlucky. It was a tough draw anyway against Niemeier with no grass prep but the tennis gods have not looked kindly on her...," another fan chimed in.
One fan claimed that they could foresee Karolina Muchova following in the footsteps of Anett Kontaveit. Kontaveit played the last match of her singles career in the second round of Wimbledon 2023, having ealier announced her retirement due to her struggles with a degenerative back injury.
"I had a vision... that we are one injury away from Muchova pulling Anett," the fan commented.
Here are a few more fan reactions to Karolina Muchova's latest injury:
Karolina Muchova's compatriot Barbora Krejcikova also suffers an injury at Wimbledon 2023
Alongside Karolina Muchova, fellow Czech Barbora Krejcikova also suffered an injury at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
Krejcikova commenced her campaign at the grasscourt Major with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Heather Watson in the first round. She then took on 16-year-old qualifier Mirra Andreeva in the second round.
Andreeva started the match strongly, breaking the 10th seed's serve twice to claim the opening set 6-3. The 16-year-old maintained her high level to race to a 4-0 lead in the second set before the Czech was forced to retire due to an injury to her left leg.
Krejcikova had received treatment for her leg after the first set, and again after falling behind to 3-0 in the second. However, she was unable to continue the match, retiring at the conclusion of the fourth game.
