Tennis Star Tim Puetz Suffers Eye Injury After Freak On-Court Accident During Qatar Open

Tim Puetz

German tennis player Tim Puetz suffered a freak accident mid-match during the Qatar Open this week.

While returning a serve during a doubles match, Puetz, 33, dropped his racket, which bounced off the court and struck him in the eye.

In footage of the accident, Puetz quickly grabs at his face and crouches down as his partner Freddie Nielsen asks if he's okay. A chair and ice were brought out for the athlete, who later told a medic he was having trouble seeing.

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Puetz was forced to retire from the match and was filmed walking off the court with a bag of ice held up to his eye. As a result, opponents Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah were automatically given the win.

Farah expressed condolences for Puetz from the court.

Tim Puetz

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"I feel very sorry for Tim," the 34-year-old Colombian player said. "It's something none of us want, to get hit in the eye, and I really hope he recovers really well."

Russian doubles partners Andrey Rublev and Aslan Karatsev ended up winning the mens doubles portion of the tournament on Friday.