A shock withdrawal by a “heartbroken” Aryna Sabalenka has thrown the women’s draw into chaos, as Naomi Osaka won her first match at the All England Club in six years, while Casper Ruud gave a chilling insight into his battle with parasites.
Here are the five quick hits from the opening day at Wimbledon.Wimbledon favourite Aryna Sabalenka has withdrawn before the tournament began due to an injured shoulder.
The two-time Australian Open champion was seeded third at the All England Club and was supposed to play Emina Bektas of the United States in the first round on Day 1 at the grass-court grand slam.
“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,” Sabalenka wrote on social media.
“I pushed myself to the limit in practice today to try my best, but my team explained that playing would only make things much worse. This tournament means so much to me and I promise I’ll be back stronger than ever next year.”
Sabalenka was favoured to win the women’s championship at Wimbledon, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
A semifinalist at the All England Club in both of her past two appearances, Sabalenka was replaced in the draw on Monday by Erika Andreeva, who lost in qualifying last week. Andreeva ended up moving into the second round with a 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-3 win over Bektas.