Safina Withdraws From Wimbledon

Written by: Staff on 20th June 2010

Safina Withdraws From Wimbledon |

Dinara Safin’s pain is Melanie Oudin’s gain.

Continuing an injury-ravaged season, former World No. 1 Safina has withdrawn from Wimbledon due to a lower back injury. Safina, who had suffered four consecutive opening-round exits, was seeded 20th at Wimbledon.

Safina, who has said her back injury could be career-threatening, retired from her Australian Open match against Maria Kirilenko in January and missed nearly three months before launching a comeback at Stuttgart in April.

The Championships begin on Monday.

Oudin, who becomes the 33rd seed, takes Safina’s spot in the draw and will play Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenefeld in the first round.

Spain’s Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, the No. 22 seed, also pulled out due to a knee injury. Her spot in the draw is now taken by US Open quarterfinalist Kateryna Bondarenko, the No. 34 seed.

Topics: Anna Lena Groenefeld, Australian Open, Career, Dinara Safin, Germany, Jose Martinez, Kateryna Bondarenko, Knee Injury, Lena, Lower Back Injury, Maria Jose Martinez, Maria Kirilenko, Match, Melanie Oudin, Spain, Stuttgart, Three Months, Wimbledon