June 25, (THEWILL) – In the running series of top male and female tennis players withdrawing from Monday’s commencement of the next tennis major, Wimbledon, Simona Halep has joined the list by announcing that she was pulling out of the Grand Slam due to a calf injury she was still recovering from.
The currently ranked third female tennis player in the world is also the reigning Wimbledon champion but has been out of action since May nursing this same calf injury. Her race to return to defend her title did not materialise and the 29-year-old has come to terms with that fact by announcing her withdrawal.
Halep made this known via an Instagram post where she wrote: “It is with great sadness that I’m announcing my withdrawal from the championships as my calf injury has not fully recovered.
“Unfortunately, my body didn’t cooperate and I’ll have to save that feeling for next year. I can honestly say that I’m really down and upset about having to take this decision.
“This period has been difficult but to miss the last two majors has made it even more challenging mentally and physically. We will see what the future holds but I’m hoping it will make me a stronger person and athlete.
“Thank you to everyone at Wimbledon for your understanding and support.”
The injury, which also kept the Wimbledon champion from the year’s French Open at Roland Garros came during the clay-court season in Rome and she had striven to find a recovery path that will see her play at the All-England Club competition.
Unfortunately, it was not to be for the Romanian who picked up only her second career Grand Slam trophy at Wimbledon in 2019, where she took the final match against the American tennis icon, Serena Williams, in straight sets 6-2 6-2.
The return to Wimbledon in 2021 after the tournament was completely cancelled in 2020 due to the impact of the pandemic on the tennis calendar, was Halep’s opportunity to defend her crown in front of potentially full crowds on centre-court in SW19, if only she could make it.
But the 29-year-old becomes the second major star of the women’s game to withdraw from the tournament. THEWILL recalls that world number two player, the Japanese Naomi Osaka, also pulled out for personal time after revealing her mental health struggles and deciding to stay away temporarily.
Earlier, THEWILL reported that top male tennis players such as third-ranked Rafael Nadal, fifth-ranked Dominic Thiem and David Goffin, who is ranked 15th, have all confirmed that they will be unavailable to feature at Wimbledon due to different reasons.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
