Kvitova withdraws from Birmingham, still hopes to play Wimbledon
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) Defending champion Petra Kvitova has withdrawn from next week's Birmingham Classic because of an arm injury that ruled her out of the French Open, but is still hopeful of playing at Wimbledon.
Kvitova said on Twitter on Wednesday that ''unfortunately Birmingham is too soon, but I'm working really hard to get back as soon as possible,'' adding that she is ''keeping everything crossed for (at) Wimbledon.''
The fifth-ranked Kvitova won the Birmingham tournament the last two years and is hoping to compete for a third Wimbledon title when the grass-court Grand Slam starts next month.
The Birmingham Classic will still feature the three highest-ranked women as No. 1 Naomi Osaka, French Open champion Ashleigh Barty - who has risen to No. 2 - and third-ranked Karolina Pliskova are set to compete.
---
More AP Tennis: https://www.apnews.com/apf-Tennis and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
HEADLINES
- Djokovic reaches quarters of Greece's 1st top-tier tournament since 1994
- Sabalenka to play Kyrgios in 'Battle of the Sexes' exhibition match
- Sinner reclaims No. 1 ranking after beating Auger-Aliassime in Paris Masters final
- Early exit for Alcaraz against Norrie in 2nd round at Paris Masters
- Djokovic withdraws from Paris Masters after exhibition injury