David Ferrer pulls out of Wimbledon with an elbow injury

David Ferrer

World No. 7 David Ferrer pulled out of the Wimbledon Championships citing an elbow injury. The Spaniard was scheduled to face Great Britain’s James Ward in the first round on Tuesday.

Lucky loser Luca Vanni of Italy will now take on Ward on day 2 of the competition. Ferrer was in the same quarter as 2-time champion Rafael Nadal and a fourth round clash between the two Spaniards was on the cards.

"Unfortunately I won't be able to play at Wimbledon because of an injury to my elbow," the 33-year-old tweeted. "It's time to get better as quickly as possible."

Ferrer had played in 50 consecutive Grand Slams, starting with the 2003 Australian Open. It is the fifth highest total in the Open era.

Ferrer was earlier beaten by Marcos Baghdatis in the first round of Nottingham Open.

Lamentablemente no podré jugar Wimbledon por una lesión en el codo. A recuperarse lo antes posible! Un abrazo a todos.

— David Ferrer (@DavidFerrer87) June 28, 2015