"Marketa saw that she had no chance and gave up" - Karolina Pliskova accuses Marketa Vondrousova of 'giving up' in second consecutive defeat to Muchova

Marketa Vondrousova has been left to defend herself after fellow countrywomen Karolina Pliskova accused the former Wimbledon champion of retiring in her opening round tie of the Pan Pacific Open against Karolina Muchova due to her not thinking that she could win.

The 26-year-old managed to just muster up to games in a 6-2, 1-0 defeat to the former Roland Garros finalist, being halted in her tracks by a re-occurring shoulder injury which had previously kept her out of the sport.

She underwent surgery on her left shoulder back in August 2024, subsequently missing numerous events including the chance to defend a US Open quarter-final. She attempted to make a comeback at the start of 2025 in Adelaide, but she would end up sitting out of the Australian Open before remaining on the sidelines for a few more months as she tried to overcome those persistent shoulder issues. Since coming back, she tasted success in the Berlin Open and reached her second quarter-final at Flushing Meadows. However, she was forced to retire from the upcoming clash against world number one Aryna Sabalenka due to a knee injury.

Since returning to the court, she has faced Muchova twice and suffered defeats on both occasions. After previously succumbing to Muchova in the first-round of the Ningbo Open, the same fate occurred in Tokyo as she battles once more with this looming shoulder injury constantly dangling around her.

The 2021 Wimbledon finalist was not in a sympathetic mood when commenting on Vondrousova's second consecutive defeat to Muchova. She believed that Vondrousova felt the implications of facing off against someone she knows very well, stating it is not nice to face the same person twice.

"I saw both of Karolina Muchova's and Marketa Vondrousová's matches that were played in recent days. It's never nice to play against the same opponent twice in a row," Pliskova said on a Czech tennis podcast. "You simply don't want that. They both train at Stvanice, they're friends. It was especially unpleasant for Marketa. She's now lost to Karolina in Tokyo, Ningbo and even a big match in Indian Wells."

She did go on to praise the performance of Muchova, linking it to why she thought Vondrousova decided to call it quits. "Today, for me, Marketa had absolutely no chance, I give Karolina credit, she played excellently," Pliskova said. "And again, off topic: Sorry, but I think it could have been finished today. For me, it's similar to Tomas Machac in Shanghai. Maybe Marketa was hurt, but I think that Marketa saw that she had no chance and gave up the match for this reason. I'll probably get another round of criticism, but give it to me."

Pliskova predicted criticism would come her way and she was correct, receiving it from the person she was taking shots at. Vondrousova highlighted her shoulder troubles, citing that as the reason she could not continue with the fear of worsening it.

"Anyone who has ever played with an injury knows that sometimes you just can't go on," she wrote on her Instagram story. "I'm doubly aware of this after shoulder surgery. I don't understand why someone who should understand it the most is questioning this."

It has been a frustrating year for Vondrousova who has attempted to battle against the pain but not always come out on top, with her recent clash against Muchova another example. It is clear that she has so much talent on the tennis court, but until she is up and firing on all cylinders, we are unlikely going to consistently see that.