Eugenie Bouchard, the Canadian tennis star, announced on Sunday that she is officially withdrawing from the 2015 US Open after suffering a concussion from a fall on Friday.
Fresh from a victory in the singles and mixed doubles match on Friday, Bouchard scheduled a news conference at 10:45 p.m. and asked her trainer to prepare an ice bath which she planned to do after meeting the press. According to The Wall Street Journal, the locker room area of the US Open has three main sections: training, locker, and the room for ice baths. Bouchard had to pass through the training room where the lights were turned off. She attempted to switch on the lights and unfortunately slipped. She hit her elbow and head but was able to stand up. She called her mother and agent then she was rushed to the hospital.
According to ESPN, Bouchard declared her withdrawal from the contest on Sunday just before her fourth-round match stating the concussion she suffered as the primary cause. The 25th seed Bouchard took her time walking into the tennis center before the start of her match to announce her backing out and conceding victory to her opponent Roberta Vinci. She was examined by the US Open medical staff before officially being allowed to withdraw. Tournament director David Brewer prepared a statement saying, "Eugenie Bouchard is withdrawing from the women's singles competition at the 2015 US Open due to a concussion."
When pressed about the liability of the US Open to what happened to Bouchard, tournament officials refused to give comment. In the same report by ESPN, a spokesperson for the tournament said there is no precise protocol that the Grand Slams follow for concussions but in general injured players are checked by US Open medical staff and given recommendations whether to play or not. However, the official also said the final decision is with the players with the exception of extreme cases where the tournament can stop player participation.
