Wimbledon favorite Aryna Sabalenka withdrew from the tournament on Monday because of a shoulder injury.
The two-time Australian Open champion was seeded third at the All England Club and was scheduled to play American Emina Bektash in the first round on the first day of the grass Grand Slam tournament.
“I am heartbroken to have to inform you all that I will not be playing in the Championships this year. I have tried everything to prepare but unfortunately my shoulder just isn’t working,” Sabalenka wrote on social media. “I tried my best in training today but my team told me that playing would only make it worse.” This tournament means a lot to me and I promise to come back next year stronger than ever.”
According to BetMGM Sportsbook, Sabalenka was the favorite to win the Wimbledon women’s title.
Sabalenka had reached the semifinals in her previous two appearances at the All England Club. In Monday’s draw, she replaced Erika Andreeva, who lost in qualifiers last week.
Just over a week ago, Sabalenka retired during the first set of the Berlin Women’s Open quarterfinals due to shoulder pain.
She said she had suffered muscle damage and described it as “very frustrating.”
“The most frustrating thing is that I can do anything. I can train. I can hit groundstrokes. “I have problems serving. It’s really annoying. I don’t feel hurt,” Sabalenka said. “If you tell me weights, I’ll lift some weights. But if you tell me to serve, I’ll be in pain.” I did an MRI, I did everything. We did a lot of rehab, a lot of therapy and everything.”
Sabalenka said Saturday that she may have to miss Wimbledon, “but I still have hope. As someone who has been battling a lot of pain over the past few months, I still have hope.”
The 26-year-old from Belarus briefly rose to No. 1 in the WTA rankings for the first time last season. She is currently ranked No. 3 behind Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.
Sabalenka’s game is based on the power she generates, especially her serve and her big forehand. It’s a style of tennis that works particularly well on faster surfaces, such as the hard courts of the Australian Open, where she won in 2023 and in January this year, and the grass at Wimbledon.
She reached the semifinals at the All England Club last year and in 2021. In 2022, Sabalenka was unable to play in Wimbledon because all players from Russia and Belarus were banned from Wimbledon following the invasion of Ukraine.
With her withdrawal from the tournament without playing a point on Monday, Sabalenka became one of several players to withdraw at the start of the tournament.
Ekaterina Alexandrova, who was the No. 22 seed, withdrew because of an unspecified illness, hours before she was due to face 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu at Centre Court.