Safina out of Wimbledon
Former world number one Dinara Safina has withdrawn from Wimbledon with a back injury.
The 24-year-old, who follows fellow Russian Elena Dementieva in pulling out of the tournament, has struggled with the problem since the latter part of last season.
Safina was out of action for three months after retiring from her fourth-round match against Maria Kirilenko at the Australian Open in January following a relapse.
She returned to the WTA Tour in April but, after winning her first match at her first tournament back in Stuttgart, she has since failed to claim a victory and lost in the first round in Holland this week.
Safina reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year before a heavy defeat by Venus Williams and her ranking, which has already slumped to 21st, is now certain to drop further.
The three-time grand slam finalist is replaced in the draw by US starlet Melanie Oudin, who will be seeded 33rd, with lucky loser Stephanie Dubois of Canada earning a main-draw spot.
