Polish tennis player Maja Chwalińska withdraws from Wimbledon doubles after mild ankle sprain in singles loss

The match

Maja Chwalińska lost a dramatic first-round Wimbledon singles encounter against Thailand’s Mananchaya Sawangkaew on Monday. The Polish player took the opening set 6-2 and held a 5-2 lead in the second set, even reaching match point at 40-30 on her opponent’s serve. During that decisive rally she slipped while running to her left, twisting her ankle. She completed the match with obvious discomfort but saw Sawangkaew rally to win the second set 7-5 before closing out the match 6-2 in the third.

By the end of the second set cramps started seizing me all over my body. I think the source wasn’t purely physical. Stress definitely played a part, the intense time before Wimbledon, because I didn’t have perfect preparations. It was one of the hardest matches of my career. I’ll cry a little and then we carry on.

The injury and its aftermath

Chwalińska later said that the cramps, which she described as unusually severe, proved more disruptive than the ankle injury itself. Medical staff assessed her condition after the match, and though the ankle was diagnosed as a mild sprain, she was able to complete the singles encounter. Her participation in the doubles draw, where she was entered with Austrian partner Sinja Kraus, was left uncertain pending further evaluation.

Withdrawal from doubles

On Tuesday her club, BKT Advantage Bielsko-Biała, issued a statement confirming that Chwalińska had withdrawn from the women’s doubles event. “Maja Chwalińska has withdrawn from doubles at this year’s Wimbledon due to a mild ankle sprain sustained during the first round of singles. After medical consultation the decision was made to forgo further participation so that the injury can heal properly,” the club said. The player has started treatment and is following a comprehensive rehabilitation plan under her medical team’s supervision.

The player has already begun treatment and is implementing a comprehensive rehabilitation plan under the care of her medical team. Her condition will be monitored on an ongoing basis, and she will return to competition when fully fit.

Reaction

Shortly after news of the withdrawal broke, Chwalińska posted a message on Instagram: “This is not the Wimbledon I imagined, but sometimes that’s tennis. Thank you all for your support, I really appreciate it.” The post quickly attracted 50,000 likes, a sign of her enduring popularity among Polish fans. No timetable has been given for her return, but the club stressed that the sprain is mild and the break should not be lengthy.