Hailey Baptiste suffered a nasty fall during her second-round clash with Xiyu Wang at the French Open and had to retire on the spot. Wang was serving at 5-4 in the opening set and they had played a long game with several deuces when the 26th seed suddenly stepped backwards and dropped to the ground in pain, wailing and crying.
A member of her team immediately jumped out of the stands on the small Court 6, but Baptiste repeatedly told him to “stop” when he tried to touch her. The American sobbed on the ground and asked “why?” as the umpire came over, and medics were soon called to the court.
Chair umpire Marija Cicak walked away again, appearing to call for medical help, and Wang joined Baptiste and her coach at the back of the court to check on her opponent. The umpire came back as Baptiste continued to sob and ask not to be moved, and Cicak had a chat with her coach.
Cicak then took Baptiste’s racket back to her bench and went over to Wang to keep her updated with what was happening. The medics arrived a few minutes later, and there was applause as the umpire and physio helped Baptiste to her feet.
But the 24-year-old still seemed unable to put any weight on her leg and continued to sob as she spoke to the physio, umpire and referee. Behind them, the paramedics set up a wheelchair.