An eventful day at Wimbledon on Thursday was marred by a freak injury that produced a frightening on-court scene.
American Bethanie Mattek-Sands was taking on Romania’s Sorana Cirstea in a second-round singles match when Mattek-Sands crumpled to the grass while trying to return a volley.
The announcers and those in attendance didn’t appear to realize how serious the injury was — until Mattek-Sands started screaming for help with frightening urgency.
https://twitter.com/SInow/status/882994198265425921
“Someone help me, please!” Mattek-Sands could be heard screaming in the rather disturbing audio. Cristea also was visibly shaken upon seeing her opponent’s injury and frantically signaled for help.
Cirstea said she could see Mattek-Sands' knee was "out" like she had never seen a knee before, or perhaps "only in the movies." #Wimbledon
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 6, 2017
Medics quickly came to Mattek-Sands’ assistance, taking the 32-year-old Minnesota native away on a stretcher. The severity of her injury was unknown as of Thursday afternoon, but it’s safe to say it was very serious.
Awful scene on Ct 17 where Bethanie Mattek-Sands has fallen near the net. A stretcher is out to help her. #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/fvHnAoO1PC
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) July 6, 2017
Some accused the Wimbledon medical team of not reacting quickly enough to Mattek-Sands’ injury. The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which hosts Wimbledon, responded to those accusations in a statement.
AELTC statement (1/3): The first response to Court 17 was within 1 minute, by a qualified ambulance technician
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 6, 2017
AELTC statement (2/3): The player was kept on court while pain relief was given
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 6, 2017
AELTC statement (3/3): The player was then transferred directly to an ambulance and taken under emergency conditions to a hospital
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 6, 2017
Thumbnail photo via Susan Mullane/USA TODAY Sports Images
