Wimbledon will now be without two of the top three women’s players in the world.
Defending women’s singles champion Simona Halep announced Friday that she has pulled out of Wimbledon due to injury. Halep exited the Italian Open in May after suffering a tear in her left calf during her second-round match against Angelique Kerber. The world No. 3 then missed the French Open.
“I gave it everything I had to be ready to play Wimbledon and after having such special memories from 2 years ago, I was excited and honored to step back on these beautiful courts as defending champion,” the 29-year-old, who won the title when Wimbledon was last held in 2019, said on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Simona Halep (@simonahalep)
A post shared by Simona Halep (@simonahalep)
“Unfortunately, my body didn’t cooperate and I’ll have to save that feeling for next year.”
Halep joins world No. 2 Naomi Osaka in withdrawing from the tournament. Osaka withdrew “to take some personal time with friends and family” but is expected to play at the Olympics.
Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka will now be the No. 2 seed behind top-ranked Ash Barty. The singles draw for the women will be held later Friday.