Wimbledon favorite Aryna Sabalenka withdraws from tennis major for shoulder injury

ANKARA

One of the Wimbledon favorites, Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus withdrew from this year’s tennis major in London due to a shoulder injury on Monday.

“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,” Sabalenka, the No. 3 seed in women’s singles, said on Instagram.

The two-time Australian Open champion added that her team told her to withdraw from the competition as “playing (the game at this year’s Wimbledon) 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,” the 260year-old said.

Sabalenka won back-to-back Australian Open singles titles in 2023 and 2024, but has never won at Wimbledon. She reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2021 and 2023.

One of the four Grand Slams, the 2024 Wimbledon Championships started on Monday, and will conclude on July 14.