Wimbledon 2024: 7 players set to miss the tournament ft. Rafael Nadal, Petra Kvitova

With action on the grass in full swing, the tennis juggernaut is set to head to the hallowed corridors of SW19 next with the 2024 Wimbledon Championships nearly upon us. A plethora of stars begin to descend towards the British capital as they prepare to battle it out for tennis' most coveted prize. The 127th edition of the Wimbledon Championships is set to commence on July 1, 2024, and end on July 14, 2024.

The men's field could for the first time in 26 years witness none of the ‘Big 4’ in contention for the prize. With Rafael Nadal choosing to pull out from the 2024 Wimbledon Championships to lay all focus on the 2024 Paris Olympics and Roger Federer drawing the curtains on his career in 2022, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray missing the event could see a big tilt-shift on the men's side. However, the pair have been working hard recently to regain full fitness, so anything is possible. Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and new World No. 1 and Halle champion Jannik Sinner enter the event as firm favorites for the men's crown.

The women's side, on the contrary, will feature almost all the big names, with only a handful of absentees up until now. Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Elena Rybakina enter with the odds in their favor on a relatively level playing field with no outright favorites for the prize.

So, without further ado, here's a look at a few of the big names who will not be in action at the grass Major this year.

#7 Belinda Bencic

Belinda Bencic at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships

Belinda Bencic's absence on the WTA tour continues due to her maternity leave and has not featured in professional competition since the 2023 San Diego Open in September 2023.

The Swiss star announced that she was pregnant with her first child in November last year and welcomed her daughter Bella alongside her longtime boyfriend, Slovak soccer player Martin Hromkovic, on April 23 earlier this year. While she has not yet disclosed anything about her possible return to competition, defending her crown at the Olympics will remain a top priority.

A representative of Bencic announced that "she is due later in the spring of 2024" after physically recovering from the birth of her child.

#6 Nick Kyrgios

Nick Kyrgios at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships

2022 Wimbledon finalist Nick Kyrgios continues to find joy on the sidelines as a commentator and analyst, having last featured on the ATP tour exactly one year ago.

The flamboyant Aussie had knee arthroscopic surgery on his left knee at the start of 2023 which kept him out of action for the first half of last year. He returned to the tour in Stuttgart where he lost his opener to Wu Yibing in straight sets 7-5, 6-3 but little did he know that this was his last match of the season. During a practice session in the lead-up to Wimbledon, he tore a ligament in his wrist which ruled him out for the rest of 2023.

Ongoing injury concerns have kept him out since, and doubts continue to grow after he admitted last year that he was 'tired' and that he didn't want to return to tennis anytime soon.

#5 Simona Halep

Simona Halep at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships

2019 Wimbledon champion Simona Halep returned to the tour at the Miami Open earlier this year after an 18-month absence from professional competition due to a doping ban. She had not featured since the 2022 US Open where she had tested positive for roxadustat, a banned blood-booster substance.

The former World No. 1 was given a four-year suspension initially but it was later reduced to nine months after her plea was accepted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on the basis that it was not entirely her fault. Given a wildcard entry in Miami, Halep lost in her opener to Paul Badosa in straight sets 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the first round. She has not featured since after complaining about knee issues post the loss.

Halep last graced the courts of SW19 in 2022 where she lost to Elena Rybakina in the semifinals in straight sets 6-3, 6-3.

#4 Jiri Lehecka

Jiri Lehecka at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships

Czech rising star Jiri Lehecka hasn't featured since suffering a back injury in Madrid that forced him to withdraw from his semifinal against Felix Auger-Aliassime. He pulled out of the French Open soon after and confirmed recently that he would also be missing the 2024 Wimbledon Championships and the Paris Olympic Games. The severity of his injury is also currently unknown and casts doubt over when he can return.

Lehecka has won seventeen out of a total of twenty-six matches this season. His best result was in Madrid where he reached his career Masters 1000 semifinal on the back of victories against Rafael Nadal and Daniil Medvedev. He also reached the quarterfinals in Indian Wells and Dubai.

#3 Milos Raonic

Milos Raonic at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships

Milos Raonic withdrew from the 2024 Wimbledon Championships recently after failing to make the cut with a main draw wild card entry. He has scarcely featured this season and has compiled a 6-4 match record so far.

The 2016 Wimbledon finalist reached the quarterfinals in Rotterdam but was forced to retire down 6-7(4), 1-1 against Jannik Sinner. He reached another quarterfinal in 's-Hertogenbosch, beating eighth seed Jordan Thompson and Roberto Bautista Agut before eventually succumbing to the eventual champion, Alex de Minaur.

All hopes of making it into the main draw at SW19 were diminished due to not having played much tennis overall. His ranking eluded him, as did the wildcards.

#2 Petra Kvitova

Petra Kvitova at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships

Petra Kvitova will also not feature at SW19 this year. She has been on the sidelines since January after announcing the news about her pregnancy.

The two-time Wimbledon champion hasn't played a match all year and last featured at the 2023 China Open where she lost to Liudmila Samsonova in the second round in straight sets 6-4, 7-5. Seeded ninth at last year's Wimbledon Championships, she reached the fourth round on the back of wins against Jasmine Paolini, Aliaksandra Sasnovich, and Natalija Kostic, before being blown away by Ons Jabeur in straight sets 6-0, 6-3.

#1 Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships

Rafael Nadal recently confirmed that he would skip the grass Major in favor of the 2024 Paris Olympics which are set to be played on the clay at Roland Garros. His decision was taken after deliberating that it was best for his body to not change the surface and continue playing on the clay in what could be his last season on tour.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion's 2024 season has been marred by injuries. He's scarcely featured and has compiled a 7-5 match record so far, with runs to the fourth round in Madrid and the second round in Barcelona and Rome. He is coming off a first-round defeat to Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros last month.

Nadal is set to feature on the clay courts of the Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden next, a couple of weeks ahead of the Olympic Games.