- Ella Seidel rushed to the back of the court to retrieve a lob from her opponent
- German twisted her ankle in a ditch after returning the shot in the second set
- The 20-year-old was in great discomfort and required medical attention on court
German tennis star Ella Seidel was forced to retire from her first round Wimbledon match due to an injury sustained from a fall into a ‘ditch’ at the back of the court.
The 20-year-old twisted her ankle after returning a shot from Spain’s Jessica Bouzas Maneiro towards the end of the second set on Court 8.
Seidel was in great discomfort and required medical attention after venturing into the area that was not fully covered by the back sheet. She collapsed to the floor after sustaining the injury, clutching her ankle before ultimately deciding to retire from the clash.
The youngster, ranked 109 in the world, missed out on the chance to claim the £33,000 prize for reaching the second round, though she trailed 6-3, 3-2 when the incident occurred.
Some fans were quick to urge the German to take legal action against the tournament, claiming the All England Club should have done more to prevent the accident from happening.
In 2016, Serena Williams threatened to sue referee Andrew Jarrett at SW19 over the slippery conditions under foot.
‘I’m going to fall. I don’t get it. Can’t they just close the roof?’ said Williams during her during her rain-hit fourth-round clash on Centre Court.
‘If I get hurt, I’m suing [Jarrett].’
Jarrett then arrived on court as both players told him it was too slippery to play on court. The match was eventually paused for the roof to be closed before Williams defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova in straight sets.
However, the American legend later walked back her on-court comments and explained that she would never sue Wimbledon after cooling down from the heat of the battle.
‘I was in the moment,’ she said. ‘I was on the court. What I say on the court, whether it’s smashing my rackets or it’s in the heat of the moment… I have no plans, no future of suing Wimbledon.
‘Let’s get serious. That’s not what I do, that’s not what I am.’
Having received a walkover to the next round, Seidel’s opponent Bouzas will face American Sofia Kenin on Court 10 on Thursday.
