A dramatic second day at the Australian Open was marred by a series of retirements, with Britain’s Francesca Jones and Canada’s Félix Auger-Aliassime among those forced to withdraw due to injuries and cramping. Jones, ranked a career-high 69, retired from her first-round match against Polish qualifier Linda Klimovicova while trailing 6-2, 3-2 after tearing a glute muscle during a slip on court.
Fighting back tears, Jones said: “I’m at a career high ... you are thinking: ‘Should I continue, do I fight because it’s a slam?’ There’s money, there’s points on the line. Equally with my history, it’s probably not the smartest thing to keep pushing.” Jones has ectrodactyly ectodermal dysplasia, a rare genetic condition, but she insisted her injury problems are not directly linked to it.
Auger-Aliassime, the men’s seventh seed and a recent US Open semi-finalist, retired due to cramp while trailing 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 against Portugal’s Nuno Borges on John Cain Arena. “I don’t want to be just standing there like a punching bag,” he said, adding that he struggled to understand why his body failed despite thorough preparation. “It hurts even more because if I was self-aware ... I wasn’t really ready ... but even with being honest with myself, I’m not totally finding the reasons,” he said.
Canadian Marina Stakusic also retired, collapsing with severe leg cramps in her match against Australian wildcard Priscilla Hon. The conditions were moderate, with temperatures of 29°C and humidity at 29%, and the heat-stress scale at 1.9 out of 5. Stakusic left the court in a wheelchair, assisted by Hon.
Jones, who has now retired in three of her five main-draw and qualifying matches at the Australian Open, remained resolute. “If I was someone that didn’t know how to pick myself up quickly, [I] would be effed,” she said.
