Paula Badosa was forced to retire from her tennis quarterfinal match against Marketa Vondrousova in Tokyo on Wednesday after suffering a heatstroke.
The Spanish tennis star had to be helped off the court in a wheelchair after dropping the first set 6-3.
No way Badosa is coming back to play mixed doubles with Carreño later today. Tough scenes to watch. pic.twitter.com/SEZiZ7gYNy— José Morgado (@josemorgado) July 28, 2021
No way Badosa is coming back to play mixed doubles with Carreño later today. Tough scenes to watch. pic.twitter.com/SEZiZ7gYNy
“The conditions have been demanding from day one, we tried to adapt as best as possible, but today the body has not resisted as needed,” said Badosa after the match.
Heat has plagued the Olympic tennis tournament, with many athletes calling for matches to be played later in the day. Some tennis players, including Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, have criticized Olympic organizers’ preparation for the temperatures.
The Olympic tennis competition will continue with Vondrousova taking on Elina Svitolina in Thursday’s semifinal match, while Belinda Bencic and Elena Rybakina face-off on the other side of the draw.