World No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka Announces Withdrawal From Wimbledon

On Day 1 of the third major championship of the year, world No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka announced her withdrawal from Wimbledon due to a nagging shoulder injury that was initially hurt in the Berlin Open last month.

"Heartbroken to have to tell you all that I won't be able to play The Championships this year," the former world No. 1 posted on X (formerly Twitter). "I tried everything to get myself ready but unfortunately my shoulder is not cooperating. This tournament means so much to me and I promise I'll be back stronger than ever next year."

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. This tournament means so much to me and I promise I’ll be back stronger than ever next year. ❤️
— Sabalenka Aryna (@SabalenkaA) July 1, 2024

The 26-year-old Sabalenka, who won her second straight Australian Open title earlier this year, was expected to be a prime contender at Wimbledon this year if she was healthy. She was in contention at the French Open earlier this summer before losing in the quarterfinals to 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva. Even while in contention at the French Open, Sabalenka was dealing with a back injury and wasn't able to give it a go at full health.

Sabalenka will now rest her ailing shoulder in hopes of being fully healthy for the U.S. Open beginning in August.