Aryna Sabalenka Withdraws From 2025 Eisenhower Cup, Replaced By Elena Rybakina
News
The Eisenhower Cup, which begins the day before the 2025 Indian Wells Open starts on March 5th, suffered a blow after losing Aryna Sabalenka. However, several high-profile pairs remain for the event.
Each year, many top players compete at the Eisenhower Cup in Indian Wells. The mixed doubles exhibition involving ATP and WTA stars has become a popular way to kick off the 1000 tournament.
When the initial participants for the Eisenhower Cup were announced, Aryna Sabalenka was listed as being paired with Taylor Fritz. The WTA world No. 1 and American ATP No. 1 playing together would have been fascinating.
However, Sabalenka is no longer among the participants. No official reason has been given for that decision. It is almost certainly not an injury issue since the Belarusian intends to play at the Indian Wells Open.
The three-time Grand Slam champion may want to focus solely on preparing properly for the Indian Wells Open singles after a disappointing Middle Eastern swing by her standards at the 2025 Qatar Open and 2025 Dubai Championships.
Sabalenka lost in the fourth round of the 2024 Indian Wells Open to Emma Navarro. The closest she came to winning the tournament was finishing as the runner-up in 2023, but she is still waiting for her first title in California.
Elena Rybakina, who defeated Sabalenka in the 2023 final, has been confirmed as the replacement. She will partner with Fritz and should be a great replacement for the world No. 1 that fans will be pleased with.
Unfortunately for Rybakina, she has been in the headlines for undesirable reasons. Her former coach, Stefano Vukov, received a one-year ban from the WTA Tour for his conduct toward Rybakina despite the Kazakhstani publicly saying he did not mistreat her.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion undoubtedly hopes to focus on her tennis rather than on that controversy. Rybakina's last match was a semifinal loss at the 2025 Dubai Championships to eventual champion Mirra Andreeva.
There are many other superb pairs announced for the Eisenhower Cup. Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek will play with her compatriot and United Cup teammate Hubert Hurkacz.
Those two could be challenging to defeat since they built a formidable partnership in the United Cup. The duo also seems to enjoy playing together, making them ideal for an exhibition event like the Eisenhower Cup.
Next month's exhibition will probably also be Madison Keys' first appearance since her stunning 2025 Australian Open title run. She withdrew from the entire Middle Eastern swing but is set to play with fellow American Tommy Paul.
There are also two couples playing together at the Eisenhower Cup. They are Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alex de Minaur and Katie Boulter. De Minaur recently said he and Boulter might play in the US Open mixed doubles.
The other pairs for the Eisenhower Cup are Ben Shelton and Emma Navarro, Casper Ruud and Maria Sakkari, and Jasmine Paolini and Lorenzo Musetti. Fans should be treated to superb tennis from some of the world's best men's and women's players.
