Ajla Tomljanovic, a Wimbledon quarter-finalist in consecutive seasons, has announced she won’t feature at SW19 this year as the year’s third Major comes too soon to return from a persistent knee injury that has stopped her from competing in any events this term. Elsewhere, the women’s defending champion Elena Rybakina remains a doubt after an Eastbourne withdrawal.
Rybakina’s infection and ‘small issue’ presents SW19 doubts
- Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina withdrew from this week’s WTA 250 event in Eastbourne, citing the virus infection she contracted in Paris and ‘another small issue’ from Berlin as the reason
- “My team and I decided it would be better to recover this week, prepare for Wimbledon,” the 23-year-old said in a statement – having previously revealed in press she still wasn’t feeling back to 100% fitness just yet
- Elsewhere, Ajla Tomljanovic has confirmed her persistent knee injury will keep the 30-year-old sidelined even longer, having not featured at all since representing Australia at the Billie Jean King Cup in mid-November
Injuries are an unfortunate inevitability, especially on the relentless calendar that tennis boasts, but it’s never a welcoming sight to see top players missing big events.
This year’s Wimbledon will already be without last season’s semifinalist Rafael Nadal – who withdrew injured to give Nick Kyrgios his first Major final appearance.
I’ve already touched upon injury doubts on the ATP side, with both Kyrgios and Matteo Berrettini – the two most recent Wimbledon finalists – among those who have been struggling to quickly recapture their form after contrasting physical issues.
Notable names listed as doubtful or out injured
Their world no. ranking is denoted by [1] next to their name – bold means out, italicised means doubt
Jannik Sinner, left leg [8]
Karen Khachanov, back [11]
Felix Auger-Aliassime, knee [12]
Pablo Carreno Busta, elbow [20]
Nick Kyrgios, knee [33]
Matteo Berrettini, abdomen [37]
Daniel Altmaier, left leg [65]
Jack Draper, shoulder [78]
Marin Cilic, knee [100]
Jenson Brooksby, wrist [101]
Now on the WTA side of proceedings there are a cluster of top-ranked female players too, who’ve either been listed as doubtful for the upcoming fortnight’s play or ruled out entirely through injuries to varying degrees.
Take 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu for instance, who will likely be sidelined the rest of the year after double surgery on her hands and ankle last month.
“After experiencing many special emotions and memories in Wimbledon over the last few years, I had very high hopes of making my return there this year.
Unfortunately, my knee is still asking for just a bit more time before I can have full confidence to play at my best level – really eager to get back out there, but this year Wimbledon came a bit sooner than I was ready for.”
- Tomljanovic’s statement, confirming she won’t feature at SW19 this term
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova captured the Berlin title at Donna Vekic’s expense last weekend, before withdrawing from Eastbourne before her first-round match vs. Jelena Ostapenko as she was said to be managing her body.
Three-time Grand Slam doubles champion Elise Mertens was said to be struggling with a hip injury as she retired in a three-set defeat by Karolina Pliskova on Monday.
Elsewhere… Lin Zhu (neck), 2022 quarterfinalist Jule Neimeier (wrist), Anna Kalinskaya (leg) are all doubts, while it’s unclear when 2019 champion Simona Halep (suspension) and Paula Badosa (spine) will return respectively.
Halep isn’t the only Wimbledon titlist not featuring this year: two more previous winners in Angelique Kerber (pregnant) and Garbine Muguruza (personal) too.
Meanwhile four-time Major winner Naomi Osaka (pregnant) and 2021 Australian Open finalist Jennifer Brady (foot) are among the notable names also absent.
Picture source: Getty Images
Mo and Sports 