Due to a respiratory condition, Elena Rybakina withdrew from the French Open prior to her third-round match on Saturday.
Given his outstanding season and recent victory at the Italian Open in Rome, the fourth seed was among the favourites to win the championship.
She easily defeated youngsters Brenda Fruhvirtova and Linda Noskova in her first two matches, but she withdrew only minutes before she was scheduled to play Sara Sorribes Tormo, who was rated 132nd, at Philippe Chatrier.
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— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 3, 2023
“I wasn’t feeling well already yesterday and the day before, so I didn’t sleep for two nights and had a fever,” Rybakina claimed. “Although I gave it my all during the warm-up today, I believe that giving up is the best course of action since playing in these circumstances is really difficult.
“When I visited the doctor, they informed me that Paris is the source of the entire outbreak. My immune system must have just weakened due to my allergies because I caught something. It’s difficult to perform, clearly, to run, and even to breathe. I believe that was the only wise choice I could have made.
“Today, all I wanted to do was give my all, but obviously, I’m not at my full potential. I have bad luck with that. I just make an effort to heal and get ready for the grass season as soon as possible.”
The timing is extremely terrible for the 23-year-old, who together with Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek has established herself as one of the best players in women’s tennis and was slated to face the Pole in the semifinals.
The Kazakhstani footballer said, “Of course, I’m incredibly disappointed that I can’t play, but I guess that’s life. There are many ups and downs.”
In preparation for defending her Wimbledon championship, Rybakina is scheduled to compete in her first grass-court competition in Berlin commencing on June 19 before moving on to Eastbourne.
“Well, improving is definitely the main goal right now. However, the schedule called for games in Berlin, Eastbourne, and Wimbledon,” she claimed.
“Although there aren’t many grass-court competitions, it’s crucial to regain your fitness. That is the strategy.”
The fourth round will see Spain’s Sorribes Tormo face either the 14th seed Beatriz Haddad Maia or the 23rd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
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