Apart from Elena Rybakina, defending champion Iga Swiatek is also out of the 2024 China Open.
Kazakh tennis star Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the 2024 China Open due to a back injury. She missed the WTA 500 Seoul Open due to the same fitness issues.
The list of withdrawals has become even more lengthy as former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina has become the latest player to pull out from the WTA 1000 event. She reached the semi-finals in Beijing last year after defeating then-World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
However, Rybakina came up short against eventual champion Iga Swiatek in the semifinal. She had 390 ranking points to defend at the tournament, but due to a back injury, she won’t be a part of the China Open.
As per the China Open’s official social media page on Weibo, Rybakina withdrew from the second round of the 2024 US Open due to the same reason. After her withdrawal from Flushing Meadows, she also parted ways with longtime coach Stefano Vukov.
The Kazakh tennis star has been going through physical problems since the start of the year and this also marks her ninth withdrawal of the season. She retired from the Dubai Tennis Championships, the Berlin Ladies Open, and the US Open.
Meanwhile, she didn’t play at the Paris Olympics, the Eastbourne International, the Indian Wells Open, and the Italian Open due to acute bronchitis and gastrointestinal issues. Despite fitness concerns, she has won three titles (Brisbane, Abu Dhabi, and Stuttgart) this season. She reached the finals in Doha and Miami and also made it to the last four at the Wimbledon Championships.
Apart from Elena Rybakina, the likes of Danielle Collins, Maria Sakkari, Elina Svitolina, Ons Jabeur, and Marketa Vondrousova are also set to miss the tournament. Defending champion Iga Swiatek has also pulled out of the WTA 1000 event
The 2024 US Open champion Aryna Sabalenka will be the top seed at the tournament. In addition to that, Cincinnati-US runner-up Jessica Pegula, two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini, Coco Gauff, Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, Emma Navarro, and Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova will also be in action in Beijing.
