"Sometimes you just can't go on" - Marketa Vondrousova fires back at Karolina Pliskova over brutal accusation after Japan Open injury retirement

Marketa Vondrousova issued a scathing response to compatriot Karolina Pliskova after the latter accused the former of 'giving up' by retiring mid-match against Karolina Muchova at the Japan Open. According to Pliskova, Vondrousova had it in her to finish the match. However, according to Vondrousova, she was playing with an injury and simply couldn't continue at one stage.

On Monday, October 20, Vondrousova and Muchova locked horns in an all-Czech first-round clash in Tokyo. Muchova, the No. 8 seed, produced a dominant first-set display to win it 6-2. She also won the first game of the second set. Here, Vondrousova, deciding that it would be unwise for her to keep playing due to the worsening effects of her left shoulder injury, retired.

Later, former No. 1 Karolina Pliskova voiced criticism in Marketa Vondrousova's direction for her mid-match retirement in Tokyo. During an appearance on Rakety, a Czech tennis podcast, Pliskova, citing Vondrousova's past losses to Muchova, said (translated from Czech):

"She's now lost to Karolina in Tokyo, Ningbo and even a big match in Indian Wells. Today, for me, Marketa had absolutely no chance. I give Karolina Muchova credit, she played excellently. And again, off topic: Sorry, but I think it could have been finished today. For me, it's similar to Tomas Machac in Shanghai. Maybe Marketa was hurt, but I think that Marketa saw that she had no chance and gave up the match for this reason."

Clearly unimpressed with what Pliskova had to say, former No. 6 and 2023 Wimbledon champion Vondrousova took to her Instagram Stories to fire back at her compatriot. The 26-year-old blatantly dismissed Pliskova's take, writing:

"Anyone who has ever played with an injury knows that sometimes you just can't go on. I'm doubly aware of this after shoulder surgery. I don't understand why someone who should understand it the most is questioning this."

Vondrousova also seemingly took a swipe at Rakety as she tagged both the official Instagram handles of the podcast and Pliskova after writing:

"This podcast is a complete winner."

Despite undergoing shoulder surgery in 2024, Marketa Vondrousova's injury struggles yet to be resolved

Marketa Vondrousova at the 2025 US Open (Source: Getty)

In August 2024, Marketa Vondrousova took the decision to undergo a surgery on her troubled shoulder, which had been causing her difficulties for months. She withdrew from last year's US Open to prioritize on the surgery and the subsequent rehabilitation and recovery.

The Czech WTA star returned to action at the beginning of the 2025 tennis season, featuring in the Adelaide International. However, she hasn't been able to shake off the shoulder injury altogether, which has severely hampered her participation spanning various high-profile WTA events as well as Grand Slams.

In March this year, Vondrousova issued an update on her injury via a social media post, writing:

"Stepping out of the court again. I am still struggling with (a) shoulder injury. Although it's not easy, I now have a few months of intensive training and rehabilitation to get my arm back together."

The unfortunate combination of her injury, withdrawals from tournaments and mid-match retirements have led to Marketa Vondrousova falling out of the WTA top 30.

Edited by Sudipto Pati