Wimbledon Championships 2021 is one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments on the planet. Every player dreams to play and perhaps win the Grand Slam, however, injuries and many other issues have forced some of the players to skip the event. And this year many heavyweights such as Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka have withdrawn from the event.
Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal played a grueling French Open 2021 semifinal against World No.1 and arch-rival Novak Djokovic. He lost that battle and hence raised fitness concerns ahead of Wimbledon. With not a lot of time to recover between Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Nadal decided to withdraw because of fatigue and further cleared his calendar by withdrawing from Tokyo Olympics 2021 as well.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka had shocked the world when she announced her withdrawal from French Open 2021 before her second-round match. The Japanese ace opened up about her mental health issues, revealing her prolonged illness since 2018. Now, Osaka has again withdrawn from Wimbledon in hopes to be ready for the Tokyo Olympics 2021.
Stan Wawrinka
The three-time Grand Slam champ, Stan Wawrinka had to withdraw from Wimbledon 2021 as he is still recovering from a foot surgery he had undergone in April. Wawrinka had updated everyone on his social media handles about his situation, where he had his left foot still plastered.
Same place , different day , not where I wanted to be but still a smile on my face 🧸🙏🏻👨🏻⚕️💉🩹🤷🏻♂️🙃🤍 #iwillbeback #recovery #seeyousoon pic.twitter.com/PIyIFQa93t
— Stanislas Wawrinka (@stanwawrinka) June 21, 2021
Milos Raonic
2016 Wimbledon runner-up, Milos Raonic announced his withdrawal from Wimbledon after he had suffered a calf injury in the build-up to the Grand Slam.
David Goffin
David Goffin has been very unlucky. The Belgian was preparing for Wimbledon at Halle Open. However, in his first-round match, he slipped and hurt his ankle. Hence Goffin is forced to sit out of the Wimbledon Championships 2021.
Goffin with more bad luck. Grass strikes again 🙁 pic.twitter.com/Bajws1p6jw
— Tennis GIFs 🎾🎥 (@tennis_gifs) June 14, 2021
Borna Coric
Borna Coric had undergone his shoulder surgery prior to the clay-court season. That made him miss the entire clay-court season including the French Open 2021. Now, the Croatian is recovering from the surgery with his expected return later in July or August, hence he will be missing Wimbledon.
Kirsten Flipkens
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Flipkens is a former semifinalist at Wimbledon and hadn’t missed a lot of Grand Slams in recent years. However, an ankle injury forced her to skip French Open 2021 and now Wimbledon as well. The last time Kirsten Flipkens missed two consecutive Grand Slams was back in 2012.
Kyle Edmund
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The former Australian Open semifinalist is yet to play a match in 2021. Edmund had been struggling with knee injuries and underwent knee surgery earlier in the year. Hence he will miss Wimbledon as well.
WATCH: Novak Djokovic and Dominic Thiem Practice Together in Mallorca Ahead of Wimbledon Championships 2021