Aryna Sabalenka Withdraws from Wimbledon Due to Injury

Two-time Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka has withdrawn from Wimbledon 2023 due to an ongoing injury. The Belarusian star had been struggling with a teres major muscle issue, which affects her ability to serve.

Sabalenka first experienced discomfort during the Berlin grass-court tune-up, where she retired from her match against Anna Kalinskaya. She had previously won her opening match against Daria Kasatkina.

Despite her best efforts to recover, Sabalenka's injury persisted. On Monday, she cut a practice session short and was seen shaking her head and saying "no" to her coach. It became clear that she would not be able to compete at Wimbledon.

Sabalenka's withdrawal is a significant blow to the tournament. She was seeded No. 3 and was considered a contender for the title. Her absence opens up the draw, particularly in the top half where she was placed in Coco Gauff's section.

The 26-year-old expressed disappointment at having to pull out of Wimbledon. She has only played the tournament twice since 2019, but has reached the semifinals both times.

"I'm not 100% ready," Sabalenka said on media day. "We're doing everything we can with my team to make sure I'll be able to play my first match here."

Sabalenka's injury is a rare one in tennis. She described it as "really specific" and said she was only the second or third player to suffer from it.

"The most annoying thing is that I can do anything," Sabalenka said. "I can practice, I can hit my groundstrokes. I'm struggling with serving. That's really annoying. You don't feel like you're injured. If you give me some weights, I'm going to go lift some weights. But if you tell me to serve, I'm going to go through pain."

Sabalenka said she still had hopes of playing at Wimbledon, but it was clear after Monday's truncated hitting session that her 2023 campaign would not get off the ground.

Tags: #Wimbledon2023, #ArynaSabalenka, #Injury, #TeresMajorMuscle, #Tennis