Wimbledon tennis news - 'Great sadness' - Defending champion Simona Halep ruled out before Slam due to injury

ByTom Bennett

Updated 25/06/2021 at 15:17 GMT

The defending Wimbledon champion Simona Halep will not compete this year after being forced to withdraw from the tournament due to a calf injury. "To miss the last two majors has made it even more challenging mentally and physically," Halep said in a statement released on the official Wimbledon website.

Simona Halep has pulled out of Wimbledon just three days before the start of the Grand Slam due to a calf injury.

Halep, the reigning Wimbledon champion, has been out of action with the calf injury since May.

And the 29-year-old has accepted defeat in her race to recover, withdrawing from the grass-court Grand Slam at late notice.

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"It is with great sadness that I'm announcing my withdrawal from the championships as my calf injury has not fully recovered," Halep confirmed.

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," she added.

"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.”

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Halep picked up the injury in Rome during the clay-court season and was forced to miss the French Open earlier this month.

The Romanian picked up the second Grand Slam of her career at Wimbledon in 2019, beating Serena Williams in the final.

And, with the tournament cancelled completely in 2020, this was set to be Halep’s opportunity to defend her crown in-front of potentially full crowds on centre-court in SW19.

Halep is the second major star of the women’s game to withdraw from the tournament, with Naomi Osaka also pulling out for personal time after revealing her mental health struggles.

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