Barbora Krejcikova pulls out of the Eastbourne tournament due to injury, sparks concern about Wimbledon title defence

Wimbledon defending champion Barbora Krejcikova has withdrawn from the Eastbourne Open tournament due to a thigh injury. The Czech athlete recently advanced to the quarterfinals of the competition after saving match points against British players Harriet Dart and Jodie Burrage. 

Delivering this unfortunate news, the athlete said on social media: “I’m very sorry to have to withdraw from my QF today in Eastbourne as I’m having some soreness in my right thigh. I’ve truly enjoyed my time here the past week and loved being back on the grass.” 

Krejcikova added: “I wish the tournament team the best for the final few days, and I look forward to returning to see all the wonderful fans here next year.” 

“I think it’s better with Wimbledon in the next couple of days, just to rest it and to see what’s going on and to resolve that,” she declared. 

With Krejcikova’s withdrawal, French qualifier Varvara Gracheva will now advance to the semifinals. She will then compete against fellow qualifier Alexandra Eala, who secured her spot by winning against Dayana Yastremska with a scoreline of 6-1, 6-2. Eala is the first Filipino athlete to reach a Tour-level semifinal on the grass courts. 

In a social media post, LTA shared: “Unfortunately @bkrejcikova has withdrawn from the #LexusEastbourneOpen quarter-finals… We hope you’re back on court very soon, Barbora”  

This news sparked concern about whether she will be able to play at Wimbledon and defend her title. One netizen commented: “I hope she is fit enough to play Wimbledon. She was struggling quite a bit against Jodie Burrage.”

Another added, “Get well soon, looking forward to seeing you at Wimbledon again — you are a class act.”

Krejcikova’s match with Burrage 

British tennis player Jodie Burrage was stunned when she lost a point to reigning Wimbledon champion Krejcikova in an unusual incident at the Eastbourne Open. During their match, the ball unexpectedly slipped through a small gap in the net and bounced onto Burrage’s side, awarding the point to Krejcikova.

This unfortunate incident happened at 15-15 on Krejcikova’s serve. Burrage delivered a forehand that seemed to hit the net. However, Krejcikova showed sportsmanship as she recognised the odd situation and voluntarily gave the point back to Burrage, prompting the umpire to reverse the original call. Read more here.