A tennis match in the women’s doubles tournament in Madrid almost ended tragically. One of its participants passed out right on the court and could not get to her feet for a long time. Surprisingly, she did not receive any sympathy from her rivals – on the contrary, the athlete was almost accused of stalling for time!

But the injury could really be serious.

In her best years she was the strongest guy

In the first round of the clay tournament in Madrid, Americans Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin met with New Zealander Erin Routliffe and Ashlyn Kruger from the USA.

Mattek-Sands especially stood out among her rivals. The American tennis legend, who turned 39 in March, did not achieve much success in singles, but destroyed everyone in doubles and mixed doubles. She has Olympic gold in 2016 and five titles at Grand Slam tournaments. In her best years, Bethany was ranked number one in the WTA doubles rankings. Now she is not spectacular, but still continues to maintain a high level.

It was Mattek-Sands who suffered from a blow from her opponent in Madrid.

She lay there for several minutes

The incident occurred during the decisive tiebreaker. One of the plays ended with a powerful attack from Rutliff, after which the ball flew into the head of Mattek-Sands. The American fell on the court and could not get up.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands after being hit by the ball / Photo: © Personal archive of José Morgado

They brought ice to the tennis player, she put it to her head, but continued to lie there. After a few minutes, Bethany stood up and walked toward the medical team, requesting a medical break. The American was checked for a concussion, but nothing serious was found.

After catching her breath and regaining her composure, Mattek-Sands returned to the court. As a result, the American pair won with a score of 7:6 (7:5), 5:7, 11:9.

shook hands with coldness

It would seem that the rivals should have shown understanding in this situation. But Rutliff showed completely different emotions. The New Zealander was outraged by… a medical break!

According to Essentially Sports, Rutliffe expressed her dissatisfaction immediately after the match. She believed that the long pause was taken not to check her health, but to throw her opponents off the rhythm. In addition, Mattek-Sands looked quite cheerful after the break and took the winning point for her pair, pulling out a difficult rally.

Dissatisfaction also manifested itself at the net. After the game, Erin and Bethany exchanged a very cold handshake, barely looking at each other.

It’s good that everything turned out okay

The fact that Mattek-Sands got hit hard in the episode was noted even by the fans. One tennis fan took a photo with Bethany and was glad that the athlete was not seriously injured.

“Thank God, Bethany Mattek-Sands is okay,” a fan with the nickname Tipsy Gutter Girl wrote on social networks.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands with a fan / Photo: © Personal archive of the fan

For the American, this incident will definitely not be the worst in her career. In 2017, Bethany injured her knee while playing with Sorana Cirstei at Wimbledon. The American underwent surgery and was out for eight months. Due to the forced pause, she lost first place in the WTA doubles rankings.

But getting hit in the head by the ball can also be called an unpleasant incident. It’s good that everything worked out for Mattek-Sands.