Elena Rybakina Faces Potential Australian Open Withdrawal Because Of Injury Issues
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2023 Australian Open runner-up Elena Rybakina is unsure whether she will be able to compete in the rest of this year's tournament after struggling with an injury in her latest match.
Rybakina, who dealt with controversy related to her former coach Stefano Vukov before the event began, defeated Dayana Yastremska 6-3, 6-4 on the John Cain Arena after some trademark powerful hitting.
The achievement of overcoming Yastremska should not be taken for granted. She reached the semifinal of last year's Australian Open and had performed impressively in her opening two rounds during the ongoing edition of the tournament.
However, Rybakina was not feeling overly positive after her victory because of a lower back issue that plagued her throughout the match. That made the 25-year-old's win even more impressive but raises questions about her involvement in the fourth round.
The injury impacted Rybakina from the early moments of the contest. She received treatment off the court for it after just three games of the match. At that stage, retiring seemed very likely.
Instead, the Kazakhstani continued to play through considerable pain that was clearly bothering her. Rybakina got herself to 6-3, 5-4 before taking another medical timeout after feeling it was necessary to get herself over the line.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion won the game she needed to reach the fourth round. in an on-court interview afterward. Rybakina revealed the injury happened suddenly and unexpectedly early in the match.
"Honestly I didn’t know how it would go. It came suddenly. It wasn’t easy. I knew it would be difficult for me to stay long in the rallies, so I was just trying to play aggressive and risk a little bit more. I'm really happy it went my way in the end."
Rybakina's happiness after coming through a match while injured was deserved and understandable, but the worry on her face about the physical issue was evident. That continued in her post-match press conference.
Last year's Miami Open runner-up admitted the injury did not look good. She hopes her physio can work magic to get her fit for the next round, but that might not be possible based on Rybakina's words.
"I don’t know yet, of course, it’s not so good, since it’s lower back but hopefully we can do everything possible in this one and a half day – but for now it doesn’t seem too good to be honest. I will see my physio and hopefully he does some magic."
If Rybakina takes to the court for the fourth round, she will face Madison Keys. There are pros and cons for her in that matchup. The American is an excellent player in great form and undoubtedly poses a significant challenge.
On the other hand, Keys' game is based on big hitting from the baseline, and the rallies in her matches are usually not consistently long. That will suit Rybakina if the injury is still hampering her movement.
Fans have been excited about a possible semifinal between Rybakina and Iga Swiatek, who thrashed Emma Raducanu in the third round. But that feels like a more distant possibility because of Rybakina's injury.
