Aryna Sabalenka was one of the favorites to win Wimbledon. Especially since she reached the semifinals twice. In 2021 and 2023. In recent days, however, she has been complaining about shoulder problems. She suffered an extremely rare injury. For this reason, she withdrew from the competition in Berlin just before the quarterfinals. There was a risk that she would not start in London either. “I am not 100 percent ready. We are doing everything so that I can play, but no, I am not 100 percent ready,” she explained at a press conference on Saturday.
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She ultimately withdrew from the event on Monday. “I tried everything to prepare for the competition, but unfortunately my shoulder is not cooperating with me. I pushed myself to my limits every day to do my best, but my team explained to me that playing at this point would only make things worse,” she wrote on Instagram.
Aryna Sabalenka has spoken. She has made a clear declaration
Sabalenka’s decision caused quite a stir. Especially in Belarus. Her compatriot, Victoria Azarenka, also withdrew from Wimbledon. “Belarusian tennis fans probably haven’t had such a terrible day,” journalists warned.
Since the official decision was announced, the world’s third-ranked player has not spoken out on the matter. On Wednesday, however, she broke her silence and addressed her fans. She posted a moving post on InstaStory, which she accompanied with a telling photo. It shows her lying resignedly on the grass courts.
“I just want to thank you for the overwhelming support I’ve received in the last few days! It really means a lot to me! I’ll be back stronger than ever!” she wrote. Finally, she told us what her plans were for the coming days. “It’s time to get some rehabilitation, treatment, and try again!” she assured.
Aryna Sabalenka Screen z
Sabalenka’s start plans after injury
It is not yet known for sure when Sabalenka will return to competition. However, new news has appeared in the case. The Belarusian has been placed on the starting list of the WTA tournament in Washington. The event will take place during the Olympic Games, and as we know, Sabalenka withdrew from them. The official reason was a tight schedule and a desire to take care of her health, although the Belarusian media had a slightly different theory on the matter. They indicated that everything may have something to do with dictator Alexander Lukashenko.
The absence from Wimbledon could prove very costly for Sabalenka. She will lose a lot of points and may fall out of the WTA TOP 3 rankings. Elena Rybakina has a good chance of overtaking her. Especially since the Kazakh knows how to win in London. She did it in 2022.
2024-07-03 13:51:00
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