Simona Halep has been forced to withdraw from the Aegon Classic due to a left Achilles injury.
The world No.5 was scheduled to make her first appearance on the grass this year at Birmingham. She hasn’t played a match on the tour since her loss to Samantha Stosur in the fourth round of the French Open. It is understood that Halep’s injury isn’t severe enough to threaten her Wimbledon plans, but she has been advised to rest for a couple days by medical staff.
“I started to feel it since I came here (Birmingham).” Halep said about the injury.
“I have some fluid inside the tendon so the doctor says that I have to rest for a few days. It’s nothing serious, but it’s a bit sore. I have almost two weeks to recover before Wimbledon so I will take a few days and then some treatment and then start to play again.”
Halep was due to play in Birmingham for the second consecutive year. Last year she was the top seed at the tournament, but fell in the quarter-finals to France’s Kristina Mladenovic. So far in her career Halep has only reached one WTA final on the grass, when she won the 2013 Rosmalen Grass Court Championships in S-Hertogenbosch.
“I’m really disappointed. This was my first tournament on the grass and it was important to have some matches, but I cannot change things.” She said.
“It’s important to take care of my body. – I hope to come back next year and I look forward to having another chance to play in front of the fans here.”
It is not the first time that an Achilles injury has troubled the Romanian this year. At the start of the season Halep was forced to miss the Brisbane Open due to a similar injury. She was also troubled by the problem during the season half of the 2015 season.
Currently not entered for the Eastbourne International, it is likely that Halep will enter the Wimbledon Championships without playing any grass court tournament in the build up to the event. Three other top-10 players will not play any tournaments on the grass before Wimbledon (Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Victoria Azarenka).
Following Halep’s absence, she will be replaced in the draw by a yet to be confirmed lucky loser. British world No. 18 Johanna Konta has now been promoted to the eighth seeding in the draw.
