"Heartbroken" - Aryna Sabalenka blows Wimbledon 2024 draw wide open as she withdraws from tournament with shoulder injury
Aryna Sabalenka confirmed her withdrawal from the 2024 Wimbledon Championships on Monday, taking the advice from her medical team despite her inclination to play. The World No. 3 had hinted in her pre-tournament press conference that she was not 100% fit, with a shoulder injury to blame for her decision.
Sabalenka retired in the middle of a match for the first time a few days ago, doing so against Anna Kalinskaya in the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 event in Berlin. Although the Belarusian traveled to Wimbledon after that and got a few practice sessions under her belt, she revealed that she was dealing with a lot of pain, especially when serving.
"I'm not 100% physically fit. We're doing everything possible to make sure we play the first game here, but no, I'm not 100% ready. It's really frustrating. I've never been through a serious injury. It's already a lot I'm going through now. The last month has been very challenging, I've been struggling with a lot of pain. It's a mental battle too, you have to find the positive side," Aryna Sabalenka said in her press conference.
"It's a very specific injury, very rare. I'm probably the second or third tennis player to injure that muscle. I can do everything, train, groundstrokes, but I struggle with my serve, it's very annoying," she added.
Taking to social media on Day 1 of the Grass Major, Sabalenka confirmed that she was indeed pulling out of SW19. The two-time Australian Open champion stated that she was 'heartbroken' by the decision, adding that she tried everything to get herself ready on time. However, her team advised her to not play, as it would make things much worse for her in the long run.
"Heartbroken to have to tell you all that I won't be able to play The Championships this year. I tried everything to get myself ready but unfortunately my shoulder is not cooperating," Aryna Sabalenka said.
"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," she added.
Sabalenka's withdrawal has now blown the bottom half of the women's singles draw open, with 14th seed Daria Kasatkina now emerging as the favorite to reach the quarterfinals from that section.
It is the same half where reigning US Open champion Coco Gauff is present. The American was expected to face off against Sabalenka in the semifinals, and will now be considered the overwhelming favorite to reach the final.
Aryna Sabalenka also skipping the Paris Olympics next after Wimbledon
Even before Wimbledon, Aryna Sabalenka had confirmed that she would not be playing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, citing the heavy WTA calendar as the reason for the decision.
"I’m not going to play Olympics because of all the rules from the WTA with mandatory tournaments. So, I have to sacrifice something and unfortunately, I have to sacrifice the Olympics at this stage of my career," Sabalenka said in her press conference ahead of the Berlin WTA event.
That means the World No. 3 will be in action next at the North American hardcourt swing, culminating in the US Open. She reached the final at Flushing Meadows last year before falling to Coco Gauff.