Two-time and reigning Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka has announced her withdrawal from the 2024 Wimbledon Championships due to a shoulder injury.
The Belarusian was due to take on the USA's Emina Bektas in her first-round match on Monday but arrived in the UK nursing an issue that she sustained in Berlin two weeks ago.
Sabalenka was forced to retire from her quarter-final with Anna Kalinskaya in the German capital at 5-1 down, raising doubts about her participation at this year's Wimbledon.
The 26-year-old was nevertheless included in the entry list and did everything in her power to be fit for the Championships, sharing footage of her preparations for the third major of the year.
Sabalenka looked in good spirits as she did specific shoulder exercises and a few practice sessions on the grass, but on Monday afternoon, she announced on Instagram that she would not be able to compete.
"Heartbroken to have to tell you all that I won't be able to play The Championships this year," the third seed wrote. "I tried everything to get myself ready but unfortunately my shoulder is not co-operating.
We'll miss you at #Wimbledon this year, @SabalenkaA 🫶 pic.twitter.com/KN7QKg1GLT
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 1, 2024
"I pushed myself to the limit in practice today to try my best, but my team explained that playing would only make things much worse. This tournament means so much to me and I promise I'll be back stronger than ever next year."
Sabalenka's withdrawal from Wimbledon marks just the second time in her career that she has been forced to miss a major, having also been absent from the 2022 edition due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian players after the invasion of Ukraine.
The 26-year-old subsequently reached the semi-finals of the 2023 edition, being defeated by eventual runner-up Ons Jabeur, the same result she managed in the 2021 tournament, where she lost to Karolina Pliskova in the final four.
What does Sabalenka's withdrawal mean for the draw?
With Sabalenka skipping the Championships, lucky loser Erika Andreeva - the older sister of Russian teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva - takes her place and will face Bektas for the right to meet Donna Vekic or Wang Xiyu in round two.
Sabalenka is the third women's player named on the entry list to have pulled out, as Ekaterina Alexandrova - who was due to face Emma Raducanu in round one - withdrew due to illness and was replaced by Mexico's Renata Zarazua.
Meanwhile, Italy's Elisabetta Cocciaretto also succumbed to a sickness bug; Serbia's Olga Danilovic took her spot.
Ben Knapton
