Painful scenes in Berlin as Jule Niemeier slips and falls, retires in tears against Marketa Vondrousova in 2R clash

Wimbledon quarter-finalist last year Jule Niemeier's campaign at the bett1open came to an unexpected and painful end. She slipped and fell to the ground during her second-round clash against Marketa Vondrousova and had to retire from the contest.

Niemeier faced Vondrousova at the Steffi Graf Stadion on Thursday, June 22. After an intense opening set which went Vondrousova's way, both players gave it their all as the second set seemed to be heading into a tie-break.

However, at 5-6, Niemeier slipped awkwardly and fell to the ground, injuring her right wrist. After being subjected to emergency treatment, the 23-year-old burst into tears, eventually confirming her retirement from the match.

After an upsetting campaign at the Nottingham Open, Niemeier entered the bett1open main draw following wins against Noma Akugue Noha and Greet Minnen in the qualifiers.

The German stunned fourth seed and defending champion Ons Jabeur in the opening round, beating her in straight sets, 7-6(4), 6-4. However, her hopes of a deep run at Berlin came to an abrupt end on Thursday.

During her on-court interview, Vondrousova extended her support to Niemeier. She stated that the German played a great match and that she hopes to see her more on grass.

"Yeah I mean, you know it's a sad thing. I think we played a great match and yeah, I was really enjoying playing on the Centre Court and I think she played a great match and yeah, this is not the ending that we wanted, but I hope she's gonna get well and play some more tennis on grass," she said.

Jule Niemeier's best performance this season came at the Madrid Open. She beat the likes of Wang Xinyu and 10th-seed Petra Kvitova before falling to Elise Mertens in the third round.

Niemeier's win-loss record for the season stands at 5-13 with a win percentage of 27.77.

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Jule Niemeier's odds to appear at Wimbledon slim after latest injury

Jule Niemeier at the 2023 Madrid Open

Jule Niemeier's hopes of repeating her 2022 Wimbledon heroics look slim at the moment, following her wrist injury. With the grasscourt major set to commence on July 3, it is to be seen whether the German can recover on time.

Niemeier made an astonishing run to the 2022 Wimbledon quarterfinal. She knocked out Wang Xiyu, second-seed Anett Kontaveit, Lesia Tsurenko, and Heather Watson on her way to the last eight.

However, fellow German Tatjana Maria fought from a set down to end Niemeier's dream run (4-6, 6-2, 7-5).