Muchova reveals medical reasons for Eastbourne International withdrawal

Czech Republic’s tennis star Karolína Muchova has revealed the reason behind withdrawing from the Eastbourne International event. The 27-year-old was due to face America’s Maddison Keys in the quarterfinal of the event on Thursday. She defeated Magda Linette in straight sets in the round of 16 with a score of 6-4, 6-1.

However, just before the start of the contest, Muchova decided to withdraw, which gave Keys a spot in the semifinal of the competition. The Olomouc-born star was later quoted in a report where she revealed the reasons behind her decision. She stated that her decision was based on the advice of her medical team, who suggested that she should not take undue risk, especially before the start of the third Grand Slam of the year, which will begin on Monday.

“It was my first tournament back after a while and nobody knew what to expect or how my body would react,” she said. “Today I woke up and when I tried to warm up the body and the wrist it was a little stiff. I’m in touch with my medical team back in Prague and they recommended that I did not risk it with Wimbledon around the corner," Muchova said in a statement. "Even though I really love playing in Eastbourne and I felt great on the court here, unfortunately I had to pull out.”

Wimbledon 2024 will start on July 1st, and players from all over the world will participate and showcase their talent at the highest level. Muchova did not have a great record while playing in the competition as her best outing was in 2019 and in 2021 edition where she was eventually knocked out of the tournament after losing in the quarterfinals.

Muchova, who is a 2023 French Open runner-up, where she lost to the current world number one, Iga Swiatek, has recently returned to the court after spending 10 months on the sidelines. She suffered a serious wrist injury and had to undergo surgery as well.