Serena Williams has pulled out of the 2010 U.S. Open, due to severe cut she sustained on her right foot the week after winning her 13th career major singles title at Wimbledon. Reports and on-the-record comments indicate that Williams cut her right foot on broken glass at a restaurant.
Can this incident be considered the most famous (or infamous) tennis injury caused by broken glass?
Perhaps not.
In 1906, the hopes of the U.S. Davis Cup team were dashed by a broken bottle of mineral water.
Enter the case of Beals Wright, the reigning U.S. singles champion, who awoke on the morning of May 17, 1906, the day before he and his U.S. teammates were set to sail to England in their quest for the Davis Cup. Staying at the Crescent Athletic Club in Brooklyn, N.Y., and after a night out of pre-send off celebrating, Wright awoke and called for a bottle of soda water to be delivered to his room. Without a bottle opener, Wright attempted to jam the cork down into the bottle only to break the bottle and badly cut his right hand. Although a left-handed player, the cut was severe and required urgent medical attention.
The next day, he boarded the White Star line ship Celtic with his right hand heavily bandaged. “He said as his playing hand was his left, he did not look for any handicap when he came to compete in the matches for the Cup,” reported the New York Times. “He believed that the week at sea would put all of the team in the best sort of condition and he was more hopeful of success this year than he had been a week ago.”
The week at sea en route to England only proved to infect Wright’s hand – actually threatening his life – and resulting in him not participating in any match during the 1906 Cup challenge. Most unfortunately, the injury also resulted in the amputation of the forefinger on his right hand six weeks later.
Wright was to be the stalwart on the U.S. team. He had won the singles and doubles titles at the U.S. Nationals the previous summer in Newport, defeating his doubles partner Holcombe Ward in the singles final. He was also inspired by his impressive play in the Cup matches the previous year, defeating Norman Brookes and Tony Wilding. He would, however, continue to play top level tennis, returning to competitive play on August 14 of that summer in Southampton, N.Y. and would go reach the U.S. singles final later in the summer and win the U.S. doubles title with Ward.