Marketa Vondrousova has announced she will take a prolonged break from professional tennis to rehabilitate a shoulder injury. The 2023 Wimbledon champion has struggled with injury since her remarkable triumph at SW19 and missed both the Paris Olympics and US Open last year with shoulder pain. She returned to the WTA Tour for the Adelaide International tournament in January but then retired midway through her second-round match.

The 25-year-old duly withdrew from the Australian Open before playing in Abu Dhabi the following month. However, she’s now taken to social media to tell fans that her comeback has been cut short. “Stepping out of the court again. I am still struggling with shoulder injury,” she wrote on Instagram. “Although it's not easy, I now have a few months of intensive training and rehabilitation to get my arm back together.

“Patience and time are my priorities right now, but I believe it will all be worth it. So, hopefully back on the court soon. Thank you everyone for your support.”

Vondrousova stunned the world at Wimbledon when she became the first unseeded woman to win the singles title. She prevailed 6-4 6-4 against sixth seed Ons Jabeur in what was considered a huge tournament upset.

She previously underlined her potential as a teenager, though, reaching the French Open final in 2019. There, she won just four games against Ashleigh Barty but ended the event widely touted as a future star.

However, it was after a first-round defeat in her title defence in London last summer that her shoulder problems seemingly began. Her layoffs have seen her drop down to 29th in the world, having previously reached a career-high of No.6.

The Czech star now seems almost certain to miss the French Open in May and will be a major doubt for Wimbledon. The grasscourt tournament gets underway on June 30.