Monday 29 June 2015 08:21, UK
Eighth seed David Ferrer has pulled out of Wimbledon with an elbow injury.
The Spaniard had been due to face Britain’s James Ward, who will instead face lucky loser Luca Vanni of Italy.
His withdrawal is good news for Andy Murray and Rafa Nadal. If the draw had gone according to seedings, Ferrer would have faced Nadal in the last 16, and Murray in the quarter-finals.
"Unfortunately I won't be able to play at Wimbledon because of an injury to my elbow," the 33-year-old tweeted. "It's time to get better as quickly as possible."
Ferrer had played in 50 consecutive Grand Slam tournaments - dating back to the 2003 Australian Open - the fifth highest total in the open era.
Ward's new opponent Vanni lost in the final round of qualifying. He is something of a journeyman - the 30-year-old is ranked 113 in the world. He is a clay-court specialist, and has a bit of pedigree there. He beat Bernard Tomic in Madrid earlier this year, and got to the final in Brazil, having come through qualifying.
Grass is another matter. He lost in the first round of the Surbiton tournament - a Challenger event - and the first round of Queen's. He did win two matches in Wimbledon qualifying, before losing to Australia's Luke Saville.
