Mboko Withdraws From Wimbledon With Knee Injury — Where Is Queens Club Tennis
Victoria Mboko is out of Wimbledon after a left knee injury at this week's HSBC Championships, ending her run before the main draw began. The World No. 9 slipped on the grass in her second-round singles match, and where is queens club tennis now turns to the replacement already moved into her spot.
Mboko's Grass-Court Turn
Mboko retired while trailing 6-2, 3-4 against Karolina Pliskova. That match also closed her doubles campaign alongside Serena Williams, after the pair opened the tournament with a 7-6, 6-2 win over Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe.
She later posted that the fall on Wednesday caused an MCL injury on her left knee. In the same message, she said she will miss the remainder of the grass season and called Wimbledon a tournament she had been looking forward to playing this year.
Darja Vidmanova Enters Wimbledon
Darja Vidmanova moved into the Wimbledon main draw in Mboko's place. The 23-year-old arrives as the 2025 NCAA singles and doubles champion and will make her Grand Slam main-draw debut.
Mboko's withdrawal stops a return to the All England Club from even beginning. She made her professional grass-court debut at Wimbledon last year, when she lost to Hailey Baptiste in the second round after entering the main draw as a lucky loser.
Vidmanova's path now shifts from replacement to opportunity, and Mboko's immediate task is recovery. She said she is receiving the best medical care and thanked Williams for the chance to play alongside her before the pair's tournament ended early.