Karolina Pliskova undergoes successful surgery on her left ankle after US Open withdrawal

Karoline Pliskova lasted only three points in the second round of the US Open 2024 against Jasmine Paolini.

Karolina Pliskova undergoes successful surgery on her left ankle after US Open withdrawal

Karoline Pliskova (via Imago and X)

Karolina Pliskova recently shared that she had surgery for an ankle injury. She hurt her ankle during the US Open in a match against Jasmine Paolini. After playing just three points, she had to retire.

The injury happened when Pliskova twisted her left ankle while changing direction. It occurred during the first game when Paolini was serving. After limping off and receiving treatment, Pliskova decided she couldn’t continue.

YouTube video

She returned to the locker room after telling the medical team she couldn’t play. Pliskova later posted on Instagram, sharing a photo from the hospital. Her left foot was in a protective boot after surgery to fix her damaged tendons.

FS Video
Happy to share that I successfully underwent surgery on the tendons in my left ankle. I'll do everything I can to get back on the tennis courts as soon as possible, but health always comes first. A huge thank you to the medical team for their excellent care and to all of you for your support.
Karolina Pliskova wrote on her Instagram

Though the match only lasted six minutes, it wasn’t the shortest match in US Open history. In 1972, Georges Goven’s match against Chico Hagey ended after just one point. Hagey broke his leg when he ran into a fence by the court.

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Karolina Pliskova reveals a player tougher to beat than Serena Williams

Former World No.1 Karolina Pliskova reached the top of the tennis world but never won a grand slam, despite playing in two major finals. She faced phenomenal players like Serena Williams and Iga Swiatek and revealed the tougher opponent amongst the two in the No Challenges Remaining podcast.

Iga Swiatek
Iga Swiatek (Via Imago)
Serena didn’t like players which are playing fast and serving well, so I felt like she was struggling a little bit with my game. To play against Iga Swiatek is much harder because she doesn’t give you anything. With Serena, in the end her game was much more aggressive or like [Maria] Sharapova who I played. But they would at least give you light points or make some mistakes.
Karoline Pliskova said on the No Challengers Podcast

Pliskova faced Williams four times, winning two matches, though the American won their 2019 Australian Open clash. On the other hand, the Czech player has struggled against current world number one, Swiatek, losing all three of their encounters. In 2017, she held the World No.1 ranking for eight weeks and remained in the top 10 for much longer. Her losses include a US Open final five years before falling to Ashleigh Barty in the Wimbledon final.

At 32, Pliskova has had a mixed season. She won a WTA 250 title in Romania this February but has not found consistent form. Now ranked around the top 50, she has struggled against the rising young players. One of her toughest losses was a 2021 Rome final, where Swiatek beat her without dropping a game.

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