Wimbledon favorite Aryna Sabalenka withdraws through injury to shake up Women's singles draw

Wimbledon's top contender Aryna Sabalenka has shockingly withdrawn from the prestigious tournament due to a shoulder injury, throwing the championship draw wide open.

The third-seeded powerhouse in the women's singles and a hot pick by betting experts to clinch the title, the Belarussian star was slated to face Emina Bektas in the opening round at the iconic SW19 but has had to bow out. This unexpected twist gives lucky loser Erika Andreeva a surprise shot at glory.

Ahead of Wimbledon, Sabalenka hadn't been coy about her less than perfect condition, citing shoulder discomfort that also prompted her withdrawal from the Berlin event. On Saturday, she expressed her determination, saying: "We're doing everything we can with my team to make sure I'll be able to play my first match here. I'm not 100 per cent ready."

She further explained the uniqueness of her predicament: "It's really a specific injury, and it's really a rare one. Probably I'm just the second or the third tennis player who injured that muscle."

Sabalenka vented her frustration over the limitations imposed by the injury: "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. But I still have my hopes.", reports the Mirror .

Having made it to the semi-finals at Wimbledon in two of the last three years, the double Australian Open victor and former world No. 1 as of September was seen as a frontrunner for the crown, alongside stars like Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff.

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Even before Sabalenka's exit, the women's singles competition was anyone's game, with no clear dominator since Serena Williams, a seven-time champ, stepped back. The last six winners have all been first-timers hoisting the Venus Rosewater Dish. This year, only two past champs are in the seeds: Marketa Vondrousova, last year's victor who's battling injury concerns, and Elena Rybakina, the 2022 titleholder.

Coco Gauff, set to face compatriot Caroline Dolehide on Centre Court's opening Monday, captured the sentiment at her pre-tournament press conference. "I think for me it just shows there's a lot of talent on the women's tour and it's anybody's game," she remarked.

She added, "It gives you confidence obviously when you see that the field isn't stacked. I guess stacked in the way where there's one player dominating or three players dominating. I think everybody has an equal shot and it's just about who can perform better that week."