Wimbledon begins in just under a fortnight, but there are still doubts over whether world number one Ashleigh Barty will be fit to compete.The Australian was forced to retire hurt from her second-round French Open match against Poland’s Magda Linette, citing a left hip injury as the problem.The 25-year-old said her withdrawal was “heartbreaking” but stressed that it was not “panic stations” and that she’d hopefully be fit in time for the next major of the year.Barty had been in fine form leading into Roland-Garros, winning in Miami and Stuttgart, plus reaching the final in Madrid.

With Naomi Osaka having struggled on clay this season and now taking a period of absence for mental health reasons, the Aussie has also consolidated her position at the top of the rankings.

Yet, despite her dominance for large periods of this year, grass has been a surface Barty has struggled on during her career so far. In four previous appearances at Wimbledon, the major champion has a 56 percent win record and has never gone beyond the fourth round.

While this is not a record one would associate with the world’s best player, this year’s French Open proved that anything is possible in a Grand Slam. Barbora Krejčíkova was unseeded heading into Roland-Garros but emerged as champion, with the top 10 seeds falling before the quarter-finals.

Barty is still favourite with the bookies to win Wimbledon this year, however, along with Serena Williams. Although we don’t know for sure if she’ll take part in this year’s tournament, there is every chance that if the Australian does compete, she could go all the way.