Aryna Sabalenka in doubt for 2024 Wimbledon due to 'very rare' injury

Aryna Sabalenka has admitted that she isn't 100% ready to play at Wimbledon when she kicks off her campaign against Emina Bektas on Monday meaning she doesn't have a lot of time to recover from what she calls a 'very rare' injury.

Sabalenka was seen holding her shoulder during an off colour display last week as she withdrew from her tie against Anna Kalinskaya at the Berlin Ladies Open and has confirmed that it is a stealth injury that means she only feels it in certain aspects.

The World No.3 and two-time Australian Open champion conceded that she is in doubt to play and she is making sure she is doing everything but isn't sure it will be enough. Going into further depth, she said it is her shoulder and that normally it doesn't hurt but does in particular when she serves making it difficult in particular as a tennis pro.

After being ill during Roland Garros which saw the untimely end of her campaign at the hands of Mirra Andreeva, it has not got any easier for Sabalenka who said she is one of only three players she knows to ever get the rare injury which she now has. The race for fitness now begins and whether she plays on Monday remains to be seen.

“I’m not 100% fit physically. We’re doing everything we can to make sure we play the first match here, but no, I’m not 100% ready,” said Sabalenka during her media day on Saturday.

“It’s really frustrating. I’ve never been through a serious injury. It’s already a lot to go through now. The last month has been very challenging, I’ve been struggling with a lot of pain. It’s a mental battle as well, you have to find the positive side. I have something I need to figure out right now, if I don’t I might make things worse. I don’t want to jeopardise the rest of the season.

“As competitors, we don’t give up easily. We’ve tried a lot of different things in the last week and I still have a day and a half left. I’m hopeful. It’s the teres major muscle in my shoulder. It’s a very specific injury, very rare. I’m probably the second or third tennis player to injure that muscle.

“I can do everything, train, groundstrokes, but I struggle with my serve, it’s very annoying. You don’t feel like you’re injured.”