Elena Rybakina hasn't spent much time on the tennis courts lately due to various physical problems, and she won't be competing at the 2024 China Open in Beijing, either.
It's been a few bizarre weeks for Rybakina, who hasn't played much tennis lately. The last proper event she played was the US Open, even though it was only a relatively short stay there as she played one match before withdrawing from the event.
It's been weeks before that since she played a proper event with a couple of matches. That would be Wimbledon, where she made the semi-finals, losing to Barbora Krejcikova.
Since then, Rybakina has been largely inactive but hasn’t escaped the headlines. She parted ways with longtime coach Stefano Vukov. That relationship was in the headlines several times due to various reasons, as many pointed out how bizarre the relationship between the two was.
There have been plenty of rumors regarding their split as well, with Vukov rumored to be banned from the WTA Tour as well. Time will tell whether that was actually true, but the more important for Rybakina are her ongoing health issues.
She hasn't been very healthy this year, which is a shame because when she was fully healthy and played, the Kazakhstani looked very strong and was one of the best players on the WTA Tour.
Her problem more recently is a back injury, which has troubled her for a while. A statement released by the WTA from Rybakina had her explain the issue because of which she withdrew from the China Open, and she called the issue an 'ongoing back injury.'
It's clear that it's ongoing from the way she's been away from the courts, but it will also impact her in the coming weeks. She won't be playing in Beijing, even though she intends to work hard to return before the end of the year.
The plan for her is clearly to try and get back before the end of the year, which likely means that she will try to be ready for the WTA Finals.
"Due to an ongoing back injury, I regretfully have to withdraw from the upcoming Asian tournaments. While I’ve been working hard on my recovery, my medical team and I have decided it's best to prioritize my health at this time."
"This has been a challenging year and I am grateful for the support from the tournament organizers and all of my fans. My team and I will work on getting me back on the court before the season finale."
It's not great news because back issues can be long-term and affect players in very significant ways. Paula Badosa's back injury is the most recent example, so fans will be hoping that Rybakina's case is not too serious.
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