Renowned coach and commentator Brad Gilbert has come under fire from 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova following his comments about her withdrawal from the US Open.
Former world No 6 Vondrousova has had an injury-disrupted 2025 campaign due to a long-standing shoulder problem, but she enjoyed a magical run at the season-ending Grand Slam in New York before yet another injury ended her tournament.
The Czech, who was unseeded at the US Open as she had slipped to No 60 in the WTA Rankings, took out three seeded players en route to the quarter-finals as she defeated 32nd seed Mccartney Kessler, seventh seed Jasmine Paolini and ninth seed Elena Rybakina, dropping only one set during her first four matches.
But then her injury nightmare returned as she sustained a knee injury just hours before her last-eight clash against world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
The top-seeded Sabalenka was informed just minutes before their match as she was making her way onto Arthur Ashe Stadium when she was told her opponent had to withdraw from the tournament.
Defending champion Sabalenka was supportive of her rival as she posted on Instagram: “So sorry for Marketa after all she’s been through. She has been playing amazing tennis and I know how badly this must hurt for her. Take care of yourself and I hope you can recover quickly. Love Aryna.
And Gilbert – who had coached the likes of Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and most recently Coco Gauff – was also initially positive as he wrote on X: “Such a bummer for Vondrousova who has battled so many injuries in her career, was back playing very good ball again, hopefully not a serious injury.”
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But he changed his tune when he later appeared on Andy Roddick’s Served podcast as he expressed his “annoyance” at players who withdraw from tournaments only to play again the following week.
“I do get totally annoyed now about players pulling a rip cord in the middle of a match and then they play next week,” he said. “It is a really weird thing that a guy is pulling a rip cord in the third or fourth round and then literally it wasn’t that bad that you could play next week, or you are playing the doubles the next day.
“There should be a rule against that if you pull out of a match, you can’t play next week.”
Vondrousova is not scheduled to play on the WTA Tour this coming week and she was unimpressed with the American’s comments as she commented on a reshare on her Instagram Story, writing: “Let’s give athletes hell for being injured, I’m disgusted with Brad too.”
The Czech is projected to rise 24 places to No 36 in the WTA Rankings following her run to the quarter-final at the US Open, and although she is on the entry list for the WTA 1000 China Open, she is yet to confirm when she will return to action following her latest injury.