Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the French Open after contracting a viral illness in the aftermath of her victory over Linda Noskova on Thursday.
Rybakina, the reigning Wimbledon champion and fourth seed, announced the news in a brief press conference on the morning of her scheduled third-round meeting with Sara Sorribes Tormo.
“I was not feeling good already yesterday and the day before, so I didn’t sleep two nights and had some fever,” said Rybakina, a quarter-finalist in Paris two years ago.
“I’m really upset not be able to play, but I guess that’s life. There is a lot of ups and downs. Today I just wanted to give 100%, and obviously I’m far from being 100%.”
Following her victory at the Italian Open last month, where the 23-year-old said her path to the title was eased by persistent rainfall that helped to mitigate her allergies, Rybakina was widely regarded as a title favourite alongside Iga Swiatek, the world No 1 and defending champion, and Aryna Sabalenka, the Belarusian second seed. Together, the trio have won the past four grand slam titles between them, and a projected semi-final clash between Rybakina and Swiatek promised to be one of the highlights of the fortnight. Instead, the Kazakh’s absence could ease Ons Jabeur’s progress to the last four: the Tunisian, seeded seventh, was expected to face Rybakina in the quarter-finals.
“I saw the doctor, and they said that actually it’s all a virus here in Paris,” said Rybakina. “I guess with my allergy, [my] immune system just went down and I picked up something.
“I got some medication. As soon as I started to feel bad, I took everything what I could. But, I mean, health is health and the body just needs some time. I also played a lot. Yeah, I think I just need few days for sure rest and see how it’s going to be.”
Scheduled first on Court Philippe Chatrier, Rybakina arrived on site early on Saturday morning to warm up for her match, but said she was struggling to breathe even with mild exertion.
“I had fever, headache. I mean, I think you can hear also. So it’s difficult to perform and obviously to run and even breathe. So I think that was the only right decision I could make.
“I cannot stay on the court more than 10 minutes. I do one rally, just the warmup from the middle of the court, [and] I cannot breathe. There is no chance I can even run and try to compete.”
While Sorribes Tormo will now face either Ekaterina Alexandrova or Beatriz Haddad Maia in the last-16, Rybakina’s focus will shift to the grass-court season, and the defence of her Wimbledon title. Her first scheduled stop is the German Open, which begins in Berlin a fortnight from now.
“The plan was to play Berlin, Eastbourne, and Wimbledon,” said Rybakina. “There are not many tournaments on grass. But most important [is] to get healthy again.”