Aryna Sabalenka reached the Wimbledon semi-finals in her last two appearances, in 2021 and 2023, losing to Karina Pliskova and Ons Jabeur. In 2022, she, like all Russians and Belarusians, was deprived of the tournament. The world number 3 is logically among the favorites this year, but hovers over her a sword of Damocles, that of an injury.very rare” on the shoulder which prevents him from being very optimistic before this 2024 edition.
“I’m not 100%” because of a very specific injury, very rare for a tennis player.“, she told reporters on Saturday. According to her, doctors told her she was “only the second or third female tennis player to injure the (shoulder) muscle“.
“On grass, everything no longer depends on Swiatek, as is the case on clay”
I decided to sacrifice the Olympic Games for my career, for my health
If she is indeed planning to appear on court number 1 Monday afternoon to play her first round against the American Emina Bektas (106th in the world), Aryna Sabalenka still admitted that there was “always a risk that I will forfeit“. Sabalenka had to withdraw from her quarter-final against Anna Kalinskaya in Berlin last week due to the physical problem.
The double winner of the Australian Open (2023, 2024) also reversed her decision not to play the Paris Olympic Games at the end of July on the clay court of Roland-Garros. “I decided to sacrifice the Olympic Games for my career, for my health, she specifiesbut I really hope to be able to participate in the next Olympic Games“.
