By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, October 24, 2023
A chronic wrist injury has forced Roland Garros runner-up Karolina Muchova to withdraw from the WTA Finals.
Photo credit: TK Sparta Praha/Pavel Lebeda (sport-pics.cz)
A cranky wrist injury has ended Karolina Muchova's WTA Finals experience before it began.
Roland Garros runner-up Muchova withdrew from the WTA Finals in Cancun due to her ongoing wrist injury.
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"I am heartbroken to announce that I will miss my first WTA Finals in Cancun," Muchova posted on social media.. "Together with the team and doctors we tried everything till the last moments to resolve my wrist injury. Unfortunately, the time needed for the recovery is longer than we would've hoped for and therefore I had to make this unpleasant decision. I greatly appreciate the support of all the fans 🤍"
"I will do my best to be back in 2024 and get another chance to be part of the @wtafinals."
World No. 8 Muchova knocked off Maria Sakkari, Marie Bouzkova and Aryna Sabalenka en route to the Cincinnati final falling to Coco Gauff. Muchova backed up her run in the Queen City charging to the US Open semifinals where she lost to Gauff, 6-4, 7-5. Muchova has not played since that setback in an effort to ensure her health for Cancun, but now sets her sights on 2024.
With Muchova out, Maria Sakkari steps into the eight-player singles field for the WTA Finals, which begin on Sunday in Cancun.
World No. 9 Sakkari joins Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka, Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, Ons Jabeur and Marketa Vondrousova in the field.
It's the third straight year Sakkari has qualified for the year-end event. Sakkari was a semifinalist at the 2021 and 2022 WTA Finals.