By Alberto Amalfi | Wednesday, May 18, 2022
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has pulled the plug on her 2022 season to rehab a chronic knee injury.
The 2021 Roland Garros runner-up announced she will miss Roland Garros and the rest of the 2022 season to strengthen her knee.
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"I'm very sad to say that I'm forced to withdraw from Roland Garros and the rest of the tournaments this year," Pavlyuchenkova posted on Twitter. "I have been playing this in my head for the last week and it has been a really tough decision to make, as Roland Garros was always very special to me, especially after a dream run last year!
"But due to the pain for a long time now, the injury is limiting me physically and mentally to compete and practice fully."
Last June in Paris, Pavlyuchenkova reached her maiden major singles final in her 52nd Grand Slam appearance where she fell to Barbora Krejcikova, who is also sidelined nursing an elbow injury.
At the 2021 Roland Garros, the 29-year-old Pavlyuchenkova made history as the first woman in the Open Era to play 50 or more majors before reaching her first Grand Slam singles final.
"It's been a long road," Pavlyuchenkova said. "I had my own long special road. Everybody has different ways. I don't know. I'm just happy I'm in the final. Trying to enjoy. Yeah, try to do better."
Weeks after Roland Garros, Pavlyuchenkova partnered Andrey Rublev to the Olympic mixed doubles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Photo credit: Roland Garros Facebook