"Wimbledon belongs to Iga Swiatek"; "Rough & depressing": Fans react as Aryna Sabalenka casts doubts over Grass Major participation with 'rare' injury

Aryna Sabalenka has raised concerns about her participation at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships due to a "rare" shoulder injury. This news has sparked widespread reactions from tennis fans worldwide.

Sabalenka arrived in London following a quarterfinal exit at the Berlin Open, where she retired from her match against Anna Kalinskaya due to shoulder pain. Adding to concerns, she confirmed the seriousness of her injury during a pre-tournament press conference.

"I'm not 100% physically fit. We're doing everything possible to make sure we play the first game here, but no, I'm not 100% ready. It's really frustrating. I've never been through a serious injury. It's already a lot I'm going through now. The last month has been very challenging, I've been struggling with a lot of pain. It's a mental battle too, you have to find the positive side," Sabalenka said.

"It's the teres major muscle in my shoulder. It's a very specific injury, very rare. I'm probably the second or third tennis player to injure that muscle. I can do everything, train, groundstrokes, but I struggle with my serve, it's very annoying. You don't feel like you're injured," she added.

Fans on X (formerly Twitter) have reacted to Aryna Sabalenka's injury concerns, with one speculating that her reduced chances of winning the SW19 trophy might pave the way for reigning French Open champion Iga Swiatek to claim it instead.

"This Wimbledon belongs to Iga, once again. Easy peasy," the fan wrote.

Another fan suggested that Sabalenka should receive the same numbing injection for her shoulders that Rafael Nadal used for his feet during Roland-Garros final in 2022.

"Someone inject her shoulder with the numbing agent Nadal uses for his foot bottom," the fan tweeted.

One account posted:

"Aryna take my shoulder pleaseee i don't need it."

"When @SabalenkaA retired recently for the first time after 555 matches, I knew that something was very wrong. This is pretty rough and depressing. I am wishing her a speedy recovery. She may need to give Wimbledon a pass," one fan wrote.

"My favourite time of the year and she has two injuries oh luck is not on our side," another commented.

"Well we’re f**ked Saba fans," another account stated.

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Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek could meet in Wimbledon 2024 final

Iga Swiatek (L) and Aryna Sabalenka pictured at the 2024 Italian Open

Aryna Sabalenka is scheduled to start her 2024 Wimbledon Championships journey against Emina Bektas on July 1, contingent upon her ability to participate amid her current shoulder injury concerns.

If the Belarusian defeats Bektas, she could face Donna Vekic, Dayana Yastremska, Daria Kasatkina, Qinwen Zheng, or Coco Gauff before potentially meeting Iga Swiatek in the final.

Sabalenka and Swiatek have developed quite a rivalry over the past few years, having faced each other 11 times on the WTA Tour. Swiatek currently leads their head-to-head record 8-3, with their latest encounter taking place in the final of the Italian Open a month ago, where the World No. 1 came out on top.