‘Just a Bump’: Serena Williams, Lindsey Vonn, & Others React as World No. 9 Withdraws From Wimbledon

Victoria Mboko‘s grass-court season didn’t turn out as she would have wanted. She began on a high and helped Serena Williams in clinching her first-ever doubles match win at the HSBC Championships, but a left knee injury has cut short her dream. The 19-year-old has now withdrawn from Wimbledon, and amid these tough times, she has received support and wishes from athletes around the world.

The Canadian shared an update about her physical condition on social media and confirmed her withdrawal from the grass swing. Turns out that she has sustained a Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) injury in her knee.

“Unfortunately, my fall on Wednesday caused an injury to the MCL on my left knee, which sadly means I will miss the remainder of the grass season,” wrote the world No. 9 in an Instagram post. “This unfortunately means Wimbledon too, a tournament I had been so looking forward to playing this year.”

Mboko had suffered the setback during her clash against Karolina Pliskova at the HSBC Championships. She fell hard on the court during the third set and twisted her knee in the process. Mboko likely knew that the blow was serious as she looked devastated and covered her face with a towel while sitting on the side.

She eventually had to withdraw from the match, handing Pliskova a 6-2, 3-4 victory. The youngster was seen limping off the Andy Murray arena in tears. Her withdrawal from the Queen’s Club was confirmed after a few hours, which also brought an abrupt end to Serena’s maiden campaign in the event.

This is the first serious knee injury that Mboko has suffered in her career so far. She has likely picked up a moderate MCL on her knee, which can take 4-6 weeks to fully heal. However, a severe tear can rule her out for up to 12 weeks, which would see her miss out on the first few tournaments of the hard-court season as well.

The withdrawal from Wimbledon can also see Mboko move out of the top 10. Though the Canadian wouldn’t lose a lot of points as she had been eliminated in the second round last year, she will lose places if players around her ranking end up having good campaigns at SW19. For context, there’s a gap of 503 points between her and World No. 12, Marta Kostyuk.

Safety concerns have amplified at the HSBC Championships as Mboko wasn’t the only player to suffer a painful fall during the week. Alexandra Eala also fell at the Andy Murray Arena during her R16 clash against Iva Jovic. However, unlike Mboko, the Filipino was fortunate enough not to pick up an injury.

Coming back, Mboko has been receiving support ever since she announced her withdrawal from the grass swing. Several athletes, including her partner Serena Williams, wished her a speedy recovery on social media.

Victoria Mboko receives messages of support

Mboko’s doubles partner at the Queen’s Club, Serena Williams, backed her to return strongly from the setback. “My heart. My 💎 You will be even more amazing when you are back.”

Highly decorated American alpine skier Lindsey Vonn, who has had her share of leg injuries herself, showed confidence that Mboko will make her return soon. “This is just a bump in the road, you will be back soon!!!”

Veteran WTA pro Sloane Stephens wished Mboko to return to the court as soon as possible. “Speedy recovery babygirl.”

Mboko’s good friend and World No. 82, Eva Lys, expressed her support for the 19-year-old. “Through ups and downs. Sending hugs.”

Finally, WTA pro Priscilla Hon also hoped for Mboko to make a speedy recovery and get back in action once again. “Get better soon girl.”

It remains to be seen if Mboko will be able to make a strong return at the upcoming hard swing that will commence in late July.

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