Wimbledon: Reigning Wimbledon champion Simona Halep pulled out Friday from the Grand Slam tournament Friday. The announcement came because Simona Halep is yet to recover from an injured left calf. The former World No.1 had also skipped the French Open for the same reason. Halep is currently ranked No. 3 in the world. However, she would have been seeded second at the All England Club. This is because World No.2 had earlier pulled out of Wimbledon.
Halep tore her calf during a match at the Italian Open in May and sat out the French Open, which she won in 2018. It was the first of her two major championships. In 2019, the last time Wimbledon was played, Halep beat Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2 in the final.
Halep’s withdrawal came shortly before the start of the draw at the All England Club. Play in the grass-court major tournament begins Monday.
Halep’s withdrawal will certainly take of some sheen in the women’s segment. The men’s category has seen some major pullouts. Among them are World No.2 Rafael Nadal and last year’s US Open winner Dominic Thiem.
World No.2 Nadal had said that his body needs some rest and he won’t be able to recover in time to be ready for Wimbledon. The Spaniard said that he felt exhausted after the French Open where he lost in the semifinals to Novak Djokovic. On the other hand, Austrian Thiem has a leg injury.
Wimbledon however, will see the return of its prodigal son – Roger Federer. The eight-time winner here had withdrawn after the third round of the French Open as he wanted to keep himself in shape for the grasscourt major.
