Third seed and two-time semi-finalist Aryna Sabalenka has withdrawn from Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury.
The Belarusian injured the joint in the recent WTA event in Berlin and has pulled out of her scheduled first-round match against Emina Bektas this afternoon.
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Erika Andreeva, who lost to Britain’s Sonay Kartal in the final round of qualifying, comes in as a lucky loser.
It’s a major blow for Sabalenka, who has twice won the Australian Open, with her powerful game making her a serious challenger for the trophy.
She practised this morning at Aorangi Park but left abruptly, suggesting all was not well, and her official withdrawal was not long in coming.
We think these two had a little bit of fun during practice 🤣@SABALENKAA |@ONS_JABEUR #WIMBLEDON PIC.TWITTER.COM/MF1AYT5DWT
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) JUNE 28, 2024
Speaking on Saturday, the world number three insisted she would not jeopardise the rest of her season by playing at SW19 if she wasn’t fully fit.
She said: “We’re doing everything we can with my team to make sure I’ll be able to play my first match here but I’m not 100 per cent ready.
“That’s really frustrating. I never deal with serious injuries in my career. The struggles I’m going through right now, that’s a lot. I would say that the past month [has been] really challenging for me. I’ve been fighting through a lot of different pains.
“That’s really tough to manage, this trying to stay positive and at the same time seeing the reality.”
