Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka withdraws from Wimbledon due to shoulder injury

Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka, the No.3 seed at Wimbledon, has withdrawn from the tournament citing a shoulder injury on Monday. The Belarusian tennis star, who retired from her quarterfinal match at Berlin just over a week ago due to this injury, revealed to the press recently that it was related to the teres major muscle and that she was still not '100 percent fit'.

Sabalenka expressed her inability to serve without experiencing pain, indicating the severity of her condition. Despite attempting to practice at Wimbledon on Monday morning, she ultimately made the difficult decision to pull out of the prestigious tournament.

As a result of Sabalenka's withdrawal, lucky loser Erika Andreeva will step into the draw to face Emina Bektas in the first round, filling the void left by the Belarusian's absence.

Additionally, No.22 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova also withdrew from Wimbledon on Monday due to illness, further impacting the tournament's early rounds. Originally scheduled to play Emma Raducanu on Centre Court, Alexandrova's absence has paved the way for British hopeful Raducanu to now face lucky loser Renata Zarazua.