Simona Halep of Romania in action during the second round of the 2021 Internazionali BNL d'Italia. IPA

Simona Halep withdraws from Wimbledon with calf injury

Defending women's singles champion Simona Halep has withdrawn from Wimbledon because of a calf injury, the world No. 3 announced Friday via Instagram.

Halep suffered the calf injury in May at a clay-court event in Rome during her second-round match against Angelique Kerber. The injury also caused her to miss the French Open.

The Romanian was denied the opportunity to defend her Wimbledon title when the event was canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Halep joins Naomi Osaka, who also withdrew from the French Open, citing mental health concerns, in withdrawing from Wimbledon. In their absence, Aryna Sabalenka grabs the No. 2 seed behind top-ranked Australian Ash Barty.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
MLB insider reveals Mets' massive extension offer that Pete Alonso turned down
Celtics legend provides update after gruesome finger injury
Bulls hire former NBA head coach as top assistant
Chiefs move on from young running back
20-year MLB veteran working out, unsure about playing future
USA Hockey names HC for 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympics
Key Knicks forward ruled out for Game 7 vs. Pacers
Pacers' Pascal Siakam leads team to Game 6 win vs. Knicks
Watch: Matt Duchene's 2OT winner sends Stars to conference final
Scottie Scheffler shoots improbable 66 after warming up for PGA Championship in a jail cell
Report: Tua Tagovailoa away from Dolphins amid contract chatter
Nuggets star has worrying comment about latest injury
Paul Skenes makes incredible Wrigley Field history in second-career MLB start
Giants rookie CF to undergo season-ending labrum surgery
Yankees' Juan Soto reacts to Hal Steinbrenner contract talk
Late goal sends Panthers to Eastern Conference Finals
Ex-teammate of Shohei Ohtani placed bets with same illegal bookmaker as interpreter 
Former Rams first-round pick retires from NFL after 11 seasons
Insider provides major injury update on Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis
Watch: Bruins strike first in Game 6 with incredible backhand goal

Want more Tennis news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.