Injured Belinda Bencic to miss Madrid and Italian Open

Belinda Bencic has revealed that she is nursing a hip injury and that she will be unable to participate in the Madrid and Italian Open in order to get ready for the 2023 French Open, which begins on May 28.

With a 20-6 record so far this season, Bencic is fourth on the list of players with the most wins on the WTA Tour behind Jessica Pegula (22), Elena Rybakina (22), and Aryna Sabalenka (21). The 26-year-old Swiss last played at the Credit One Charleston Open earlier this month, where she was looking to defend her title but lost to Ons Jabeur in the final.

She took to social media on Thursday (April 20) to announce her withdrawal from the two WTA 1000 tournaments ahead of the second Grand Slam of the year, saying that the hip issue emerged during the Sunshine Double.

"Hi everyone, I just wanted to provide you all with a quick update that I, unfortunately, will be missing both Madrid and Rome in the next few weeks," Bencic wrote on her Instagram stories.

"I have some discomfort on my hip, which I struggled a bit with during the US swing as well, and need to take a little rest and recover to be back at 100% for Roland Garros. I will miss both tournaments dearly but will be back in a few weeks and can't wait to be back competing soon and continuing in great form," she added.

Bencic wrote on her Instagram stories

Bencic kicked off her season by winning the Adelaide International 2, where she beat the likes of Garbine Muguruza, Caroline Garcia, and Daria Kasatkina. Although she was eliminated from the Australian Open in the fourth round by eventual champion Sabalenka, the former World No. 4 bounced back to win the Abu Dhabi Open in February. Bencic faced early exits in Dubai, Indian Wells, and Miami.

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"I didn't really like clay before" - Belinda Bencic

Belinda Bencic

During the recently-concluded Credit One Charleston Open, Belinda Bencic commented on how her equation with clay changed after she won her first title on the red dirt — 2022 Charleston Open.

"I didn't really like clay before," Belinda Bencic said. "I felt like last year in Charleston, that made me change my mind a little bit, but maybe it's also because I really like green clay more than the red clay. I think I first have to make a good relationship here with the green clay and then move on to Europe for the red clay and try to do better there."

So far, the 2020 Olympic gold medalist has won only one title on clay, one on grass, and six on hard courts.