Emma Raducanu handed huge Wimbledon opportunity as big name star pulls out
Emma Raducanu's Wimbledon dreams just got a massive lift after both Aryna Sabalenka and Victoria Azarenka withdrew from the tournament.
Raducanu, 21, sailed through to the second round after dispatching Renata Zarazua in straight sets on Monday. The grass courts of SW19 have barely seen any action, and already the competition is reeling from the exit of two marquee names.
World No. 3 Sabalenka was all set for a clash with Emina Bektas, but had to bow out due to injury, leaving wildcard Erika Andreeva to step in. Sabalenka, who first felt her shoulder go at the Berlin Open last month, hasn't managed to shake off the problem, forcing her to reluctantly withdraw.
It came after fellow Belarusian Azarenka's spot was snapped up by France's Elsa Jacquemot due to a similar injury. Taking to social media with a heartfelt message, Sabalenka expressed her devastation: "Heartbroken to have to tell you all that I won't be able to play the Championships this year.
"I tried everything to get myself ready but unfortunately my shoulder is not co-operating. This tournament means so much to me and I promise I'll be back stronger than ever next year."
She continued, detailing her strenuous efforts and the tough decision she had to make: "I pushed myself to the limit in practice today to try my best, but my team explained that playing would only make things much worse. This tournament means so much to me and I promise I'll be back stronger than ever next year."
Her decision to pull out doesn't come as a shock, especially after she mentioned the pain in her shoulder at the Berlin Ladies Open. Sabalenka opened up about the injury, saying: "The most annoying thing is that I can do anything. I can practice; I can hit my groundstrokes. I'm struggling with serving. That's really annoying. You don't feel like you're injured.
"If you give me some weights, I'm going to go lift some weights. But if you tell me to serve, I'm going to go through pain. We did an MRI, we did everything. We did a lot of rehab, a lot of treatments and everything."
While tennis fans might be disappointed by the news of their respective late exits, the situation has worked out well for Raducanu. Azarenka and Sabalenka were both on her side of the draw and could have been potential tough opponents for the Brit.
On one side, there's a cluster of top-tier talent including World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Jelena Ostapenko, and others, but Raducanu's half seems less daunting. Coco Gauff stands out as the major challenge on Raducanu's side, having climbed to No. 2 in the world rankings.
Victoria Azarenka
Yet, for the 2021 US Open champ, it's still early days, and she's not getting ahead of herself just yet. Reflecting on her recent win over Zarazua, Raducanu admitted: "I was for sure nervous.
"I think everyone could see that in my tennis. Watching the football last night it was like winning ugly. It all counts. It was an incredibly difficult match. I've barely if ever played a defender who's landed the ball on the baseline or just kept getting it back."
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