Elena Rybakina was supposed to play at the 2024 Eastbourne International, but the Kazakhstani player pulled out of the WTA 500 tournament.
Rybakina has played in Eastbourne twice before, including the year when she won Wimbledon. She didn't do that well in 2022, losing in the second round, especially since she made the semi-finals the year before.
Now, much like last year, Rybakina won't play at the tournament in Eastbourne this year despite appearing in the draw. The world no. 4 started her grass campaign only last week in Berlin, but she didn't end it the way she wanted to.
Ideally, a player would want to play at least four matches ahead of Wimbledon to get used to the grass courts. Rybakina was able to get only two, and the second one was not much of a match.
She bested Veronika Kudermetova in two simple sets but then retired down 1-3 against Victoria Azarenka due to illness. Afterward, she made a decision not to travel to Eastbourne, but instead, she made her way directly to London, skipping over the WTA 500 tournament.
She doesn't mind playing in Eastbourne and certainly doesn't mind playing ahead of a Grand Slam, but with the sickness that plagued her in Berlin, Rybakina likely decided it was far better to simply go to London and slowly ease herself back into tennis.
She was spotted at Wimbledon courts already, so she's already there and will likely ramp up practices in the coming days. As a former champion of the event, Rybakina will certainly have a shot at winning the tournament as well, but it will depend on how healthy she is.
That and whether she finds her best tennis because it's been a while since it happened. Her Roland Garros campaign ended in disappointment, but that only ensures that she'll be very motivated at SW19.
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