While French Open champion Rafael Nadal and Wimbledon defending champion Novak Djokovic have been confirmed to play at the grass-court grand slam, other names have pulled out.
Naomi Osaka, Dominic Thiem, Eugenie Bouchard, and Alexander Zverev have pulled out of the tournament mostly because of injuries.
Former World No.1 Osaka has withdrawn because of a lingering left Achilles injury. She said, My Achilles still isn’t right so I’ll see you next time. She also said on Instagram, There goes my grass dreams.
“I feel like life keeps dealing cards and you’re never going to be used to them but it’s how you adapt to uncomfortable situations that really says stuff about your character,” she said.
“Everyday, before I go to sleep I think of all the people I love and how grateful I am to have them in my life. I honestly just wish the best for them and I hope that my existence brings them as much joy as they do me.”
This is the second time in a row that Osaka has not competed in the Grand Slam. She has not been part of the final lineup since 2019.
Current World No.2 Alexander Zverev is also pulling out as he is still recovering from the ankle injury that he sustained in the French Open semifinals where he was forced to forfeit. Zverev would have been second-seeded at the tournament.
Thiem and Bouchard are also begging off, siting injury comebacks as the reasons why.
Thiem is returning from wrist surgery and will be playing low-key clay-court tournaments in Salzburg. He has had trouble coming back from surgery but he says that he is starting to see an improvement.
Bouchard, on the other hand, is withdrawing because of the WTAs decision to remove ranking points from Wimbledon. She is taking the time to fully recover from her shoulder surgery.
In addition to the withdrawals, Wimbledon will also not have Belarusian and Russian players after their participation was banned by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) in solidarity with Ukraine.