French tennis player Luca Van Assche was forced to retire from his first-round Wimbledon match against Marton Fucsovics after suffering a back injury just minutes into the contest. The world No. 80, competing on Court 9, pulled out an hour into the match while trailing 3-6, 0-4.
Injury Strikes Early
Van Assche injured himself at 1-1 in the opening set. He had been serving at 1-1, 0-30 when disaster struck. Although he won the point, he immediately clutched his lower back in discomfort and approached the umpire to request the physio. He managed to win the following point but was clearly in difficulty, bending double in agony at the rear of the court.
Both players returned to their benches with the score at 30-30, and the umpire summoned the physio. After a brief exchange, the trainer informed the chair official that they would take a medical timeout off-court. Fucsovics waited at the side, practicing his serve, while Van Assche and the physio headed to the locker room. The umpire announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Van Assche is now receiving a medical timeout off-court."
Attempt to Continue
Approximately 10 minutes later, Van Assche returned to the court and decided to continue. However, he was broken immediately and lost four consecutive games. He managed to win a game and claw back one break, but Fucsovics claimed the first set 6-3 in about 40 minutes.
In the second set, Van Assche's mobility remained hampered, and he struggled to generate power. He was broken for the fifth time in the match and chose to retire, shaking hands with Fucsovics and the umpire after one hour and two minutes on court.
Wimbledon Record
Van Assche has yet to win a match at Wimbledon, having exited in the first round in 2023 and 2024, and in the second round of qualifying last year. Fucsovics advances to the second round, where he will face either No. 16 seed Learner Tien or Dalibor Svrcina.
