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Wimbledon

On Wimbledon draw day, defending champion Simona Halep pulls out with calf injury

The Romanian joined Naomi Osaka, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem in withdrawing from the tournament.

By Associated Press
Winner Simona Halep, of Romania, left, and second placed Serena Williams pose with their trophies after the women's singles final match on day twelve of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, in this Saturday, July 13, 2019, file photo. There are plenty of intriguing story lines to follow on the grass courts. That includes Novak Djokovic's bid to equal Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at 20 major titles and Serena Williams seeking her 24th. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland, File)
© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Reigning Wimbledon champion Simona Halep withdrew from the Grand Slam tournament Friday because of an injured left calf.

Halep is ranked No. 3 but would have been seeded second at the All England Club because second-ranked Naomi Osaka pulled out of Wimbledon earlier.

Halep tore her calf during a match at the Italian Open in May and sat out the French Open, which she won in 2018 for the first of her two major championships.

In 2019, the last time Wimbledon was played, Halep beat Serena Williams 6-2, 6-2 in the final.

Halep's withdrawal came shortly before the start of the draw at the All England Club. Play in the grass-court major tournament begins Monday.