Elena Rybakina, the reigning Wimbledon champion, has withdrawn from the Eastbourne International tournament, raising concerns about her fitness for this year’s Wimbledon.
The Moscow-born player, representing Kazakhstan, clinched her first Grand Slam title last year and reached the final of the Australian Open earlier this year.
Rybakina cited her ongoing recovery from a virus that forced her to withdraw from the French Open in June as the reason for her withdrawal.
She explained that her team decided it would be best for her to focus on recuperating and preparing for Wimbledon, as she is still dealing with the effects of the virus and recently encountered a minor issue during the Berlin tournament.
Having lost in the last 16 in Germany, Rybakina admitted that she is not at full physical strength and is still in the process of recovering. As the third-ranked player in the world, she had been the top seed at the Eastbourne tournament but has now been replaced by Croatian lucky loser Petra Martic, who is scheduled to face British number one Katie Boulter in the opening round.
In the women’s singles event, three British players are competing, with Jodie Burrage and Harriet Dart set to face American Lauren Davis and China’s Zhang Shuai, respectively.
