"Shot me in the back": Svitolina withdrew from the 1/8 finals of the Australian Open-2024 in tears

Ukraine's top-ranked player Elina Svitolina has withdrawn from the Australian Open 2024. In the 1/8 finals match against Czech tennis player Linda Noskova, the Odesa woman suddenly felt severe back pain. Elina called for medical assistance on the court, but it did not help her. As a result, the 29-year-old Svitolina refused to continue the fight with tears in her eyes.

Tonight in Melbourne, the Ukrainian was playing for her third quarterfinal at the Australian Open and first since 2019. After the second game, Elina called a physiotherapist to the court, indicating that her back was bothering her.

After the medical timeout, Svitolina tried to return to the game, but could not move freely. And after losing the game on her serve, she tearfully decided to withdraw from the match with the score 0:3.

"I had a cramp, or I don't know exactly what it was, but it was a shooting pain that I felt in the first game, during the last two points. I couldn't do anything. It completely blocked my back. Of course, it's very sad," Elina said at the press conference.

According to the Ukrainian, during her performances at the Australian Grand Slam, she already knew that by the fourth round she could feel a little bit of a stiffness, but this time the problem was much more serious.

"I don't think I had any problems before. I don't think I've ever had a shooting pain like this. I've had some back injuries before, where I just felt tired the day after a match, but this was really out of nowhere. It felt like someone had shot me in the back," Elina explained.

As Svitolina admitted, her lower back remained completely blocked while talking to journalists: "So, yes, it hurts me a lot to even walk, to turn around. I can't move from side to side. It's a very strange feeling."

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