Rafael Nadal, Simona Halep and Emma Raducanu among list of top stars set to miss 2023 Wimbledon

Wimbledon 2023 is right around the corner, with the world’s most prestigious tennis tournament preparing to host what is certain to be another captivating and historic edition. Some of the game’s biggest names return, in the shape of defending men’s champion Novak Djokovic, hometown hero Andy Murray, or a legend of the game Venus Williams. Young rising stars will also want to leave their mark, with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner trying to prove that the ATP’s future is now, or Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff seeking their first Wimbledon titles.

However, there will also be some big names missing from the tournament for a host of reasons. The draws are not as stacked as they have been in the past, as some notable absences will be felt in both the men’s and women’s tournaments. Here are some of the biggest names not present at this year’s Championships:

Rafael Nadal is a two-time Wimbledon champion, and is simply one of the most famous players of all time, who would very much still have been a good bet to go deep in the tournament. Nadal reached the semifinals last year after a battling victory over Taylor Fritz, but pulled out of the semifinal clash against Nick Kyrgios. He hasn’t competed on tour since the Australian Open, where an abdominal injury forced him into taking a break, and is currently recovering from hip surgery.

Emma Raducanu would have carried hometown hopes in the women’s draw for the British, having broken out in the tennis world with her performances at Wimbledon 2021, where she reached the round-of-16. She was seeded tenth in the 2022 edition after her success at the US Open, but has been hampered by injuries and physiological issues ever since. She will miss significant time with surgeries on both wrists as well as her ankle, but has time on her side at only 20 years old.

Naomi Osaka reached stardom at an early age with her domination of hard courts, but has only played intermittently since her consecutive US Open and Australian Open wins in 2020-21. The 4-time slam champion has cited struggles with mental health in the past, but her absence from the tour in 2023 is due to her pregnancy, which was announced early this year. The Japanese star is expecting a baby girl with her partner Cordae, but has stated she plans to return in time for the AO next year.

German three-time slam champion Angelique Kerber is also missing out on Wimbledon due to pregnancy, having given birth to a daughter in February. While Kerber appeared for a doubles tournament with her retiring friend Andrea Petkovic, she will also not return to full action until the Australian Open. Kerber is a former Wimbledon champion, having won in 2018 by defeating Serena Williams.

A very recent withdrawal from Wimbledon is former US Open champion Marin Cilic, who announced that while his recovery from a knee injury is moving along well, he doesn’t feel prepared yet for grand slam action. Cilic is a former Wimbledon finalist, losing out to Roger Federer in 2017. The Croat hasn’t competed in a grand slam since last year’s US Open, where he lost to eventual Champion Carlos Alcaraz in 5 tight sets.

Garbine Muguruza is another former Wimbledon champion who is missing out. She has only reached two more grand slam finals since her championship in 2017, and earlier this year pulled out of a large part of the season due to mental health concerns, stating she wanted to spend more time with her friends and family, away from tour. She enjoyed a successful 2021 season, winning the WTA Finals in Guadalajara, but made the decision after a difficult 2022.

Karen Khachanov has had an outstanding last 12 months, reaching the semifinals of both the US Open and Australian Open, and re-entering the top 10 in the rankings after an impressive showing against Novak Djokovic at the French Open quarter-final stage. However, Khachanov revealed he had suffered a stress fracture during that run in Paris, ruling him out of Wimbledon. The Tokyo Olympics silver-medallist had finally begun to gain some speed in his promising career, and with a thin draw, will be rueing his chances at missing Wimbledon while in such form, already having missed last year due to Wimbledon’s ban.

Former world number one Simona Halep was suspended from the WTA tour nearly 10 months ago, but is only just getting around to her hearing regarding the positive drug test in 2022. Halep, the 2019 Wimbledon champion, has shared her frustrations about how slowly the process is moving. She is likely to get the verdict regarding her banned substances test during Wimbledon, and will have the option of going to the CAS as well if a suspension is handed out.