LONDON — Canadian tennis player Victoria Mboko has withdrawn from Wimbledon after sustaining a knee injury during a grass-court tournament in London, ending the 19-year-old’s preparations for the season’s third Grand Slam before the event begins later this month.
The withdrawal was confirmed on Friday by Wimbledon organizers and the Women’s Tennis Association after Mboko suffered a left knee injury during her second-round match against former world No. 1 Karolina Pliskova at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club earlier this week.
Mboko, ranked ninth in the world, slipped on the grass during Wednesday’s match and was forced to retire while trailing in the contest. Medical examinations later determined that she had injured the medial collateral ligament in her left knee, according to reports from Reuters and the WTA.
In a statement released after the injury, Mboko said the fall had caused damage to her knee and would prevent her from competing during the remainder of the grass-court season.
“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,” Mboko said, according to statements reported by multiple media outlets.
The injury also forced Mboko to withdraw from the doubles competition at Queen’s Club, where she had partnered with Serena Williams. Williams, making her first professional appearance in nearly four years, was consequently unable to continue in the tournament after the pair advanced through their opening match.
Mboko had emerged as one of the leading contenders on the women’s tour this season. According to the WTA, she recorded strong performances in the year’s opening Grand Slam events and entered the grass season among the top-ranked players in the world. Wimbledon organizers said Czech player Darja Vidmanova would replace Mboko in the main draw.
The withdrawal adds to a growing list of injury-related absences affecting the grass-court season. Several players have dealt with physical setbacks in recent weeks as they prepare for Wimbledon, which begins later this month at the All England Club.
Tournament officials have not announced any further changes to the women’s singles field. Details regarding Mboko’s recovery timetable remain unclear, although the player indicated she would focus on rehabilitation before returning to competition.
As of Friday, Wimbledon organizers had updated the tournament entry list to reflect Mboko’s withdrawal. No date has been announced for her return to competitive play.
