Madison Keys was ready for a glorious Wimbledon moment on Sunday. But injuries and their unfortunate timing don’t always cooperate.
In a thrilling Round of 16 duel with Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, the American Keys was forced to retire at 5-5 of the third set after an upper-thigh injury she suffered mid-match became too much to overcome. The prospect of losing because of an ill-timed, mid-match injury understandably moved Keys.
She was in tears as she began walking off the Wimbledon court to a standing ovation from the watching crowd. She eventually greeted a remorseful Paolini, who clearly felt absolutely terrible for her opponent:
A sad ending to an incredible match 💔
Madison Keys is forced to retire due to injury against Paolini on No.1 Court 😢#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/p1M80WYLgb
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2024
In her post-match interview, Paolini could’ve focused on boasting about winning her first-ever main draw match on grass. Instead, per Reuters, the Italian classily honored Keys, expressing some sincere sadness and grace in a challenging situation for any athlete:
“I’m so sorry for her [Keys]. To end the match like this it’s sad. We played a really good match. it was really tough, lots of up and downs. I feel a bit happy but also sad for her because it’s not easy to win like that,” Paolini said.
Paolini took things a step further on her Twitter account, where she wished Keys well in her injury recovery:
You never want to win because someone retires, but it was a fantastic experience today at this big court. Happy for all your support! Get well soon, Madison.@Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/DAhJTUrrbQ
— Jasmine Paolini (@JasminePaolini) July 7, 2024
Good sportsmanship never goes out of style. If anything, it’s built for moments like this, where world-class tennis players understand that injuries can sometimes make any match a roll of the dice.
