2019 champion Simona Halep out of Wimbledon with calf injury

Reigning Wimbledon champion Simona Halep has withdrawn from the Grand Slam tournament because of an injured left calf

Wimbledon Preview Tennis (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

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.

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