Simona Halep will not defend her Wimbledon title after withdrawing from the tournament on Friday due to a calf injury sustained last month, becoming the latest high-profile player to miss the grass court Grand Slam.
Halep ended her European claycourt swing early after suffering the calf injury during her Rome Open second round match against Angelique Kerber in May. The Romanian subsequently withdrew from the French Open and the Bad Homburg Open, which would have acted as her tune-up event for Wimbledon.
"It is with great sadness that I'm announcing my withdrawal from The Championships as my calf injury has not fully recovered," Halep, who won the title when Wimbledon was last held in 2019, said on Instagram.
"I gave it everything I had in order to be ready to play Wimbledon and after having such special memories from two years ago, I was excited and honoured to step back on these beautiful courts as defending champion.
"Unfortunately, my body didn't cooperate and I'll have to save that feeling for next year."
Halep won Wimbledon - her second Grand Slam title - with a superb performance to defeat Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2. She was denied a chance to defend her title when Wimbledon was cancelled last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
She joins world No 2 Naomi Osaka in withdrawing from the grass court Grand Slam with the Japanese also skipping Wimbledon following her withdrawal from Roland Garros due to mental health issues.
In their absence, Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka will climb up to be the No 2 seed behind top-ranked Australian Ashleigh Barty with the singles draw for both men and women to be held later on Friday.
"I can honestly say that I'm really down and upset about having to take this decision," Halep, 29, said. "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."
The men's draw has also seen high-profile withdrawals due to injury and fatigue. World No 3 and two-time champion Rafael Nadal pulled out of Wimbledon and ruled himself out of the Tokyo Olympic Games, while US Open champion Dominic Thiem was forced to withdraw after sustaining a wrist injury at the Mallorca Championships earlier this week.
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
