World No.5 Elina Svitolina has expressed fears that a foot injury that had contributed to her Birmingham Classic defeat to Italian Camila Giorgi could lead to her withdrawal from Wimbledon.
The in-form Ukrainian won May's Italian Open and then reached the French Open quarter-finals, but had not progressed past the second round at the All England Club.
Svitolina, 22, has never won a tournament on grass and says withdrawing from Wimbledon could help her get a head start on preparations for hardcourt tournaments later this year.
"I was really looking forward to this year at Wimbledon. But today, the court was slippery and it's so bad for my foot. I will do my best," Svitolina told reporters on Thursday after the Birmingham match.
"But for the moment, it's very uncomfortable, and there is a question about it, because the season is still long and there is lots of big tournaments as well where I will feel more comfortable and confident on the hardcourt."
Svitolina joins a number of top players racing to be fit for Wimbledon, which begins on July 3, with Australian Nick Kyrgios, Angelique Kerber, Simona Halep and Juan Martin del Potro all withdrawing from warm-up tournaments leading into the third grand slam of the year.
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