Elena Rybakina withdrew from the 2024 US Open, adding to the growing list of her withdrawals this year.
There is no doubt that the Kazakhstani player is one of the most talented on the WTA Tour. After the last major of the season, she could have reached the World No. 2 rank, and that comes after she withdrew from an incredible amount of tournaments this year.
Early in 2024, it seemed that Rybakina could even challenge for the World No. 1 spot, but her health said 'no'. It all started at the Dubai Championships, where she withdrew before her quarter-final match because of a gastrointestinal illness, which also forced her to withdraw from the Indian Wells Open, where she was the defending champion.
Her struggles continued later in the season. Rybakina withdrew from the Italian Open in Rome, where, once again, she was the defending champion, and she also retired from her match at the Berlin Open.
The Kazakhstani player then withdrew from the Eastbourne International, even though that seemed to be a scheduling decision. Still, shortly after, she was forced to abandon her plans of competing at the Olympic Games because of acute bronchitis, and the same condition kept her away from playing at the Canadian Open.
It finally seemed that Rybakina could be healthy for the 2024 US Open, and she started really well, beating Destanee Aiava 6-1, 7-6(1) in the first round of the tournament.
Shortly after, she held a very weird press conference, during which she gave only brief responses and avoided any questions about her coaching split. Similarly to one of Emma Raducanu's press conferences in the past, the 2022 Wimbledon champion likely knew something the rest of us didn't, and that was the issues that she was having.
Those health issues ultimately forced her to withdraw from the 2024 US Open, but once again, it's not clear what the exact issue is, as she stated that she had to withdraw 'because of injuries'.
"Unfortunately, I have to withdraw from my match today due to my injuries. I did not want to finish the last Grand Slam of the year this way, but I have to listen to my body, and I hope I can close out the remainder of the year strong."
"Thank you to all the fans who have and continue to support me, and I wish the remaining players good luck."
Usually, players provide more detailed statements that clearly state the exact injury, but Rybakina's withdrawal remains, like many of her withdrawals this year, a bit mysterious.
That's also what prompted former WTA player, Rennae Stubbs, to dive deeper into her issues during the ESPN broadcast, sensing that there might be something else happening behind the close doors, given the mysterious and frequent nature of her withdrawals.
"There’s something obviously going on here. I don’t want to speculate. But this is a very unusual situation. 8 withdrawals this year… undisclosed injury now at US Open. I just think there’s something more going on here."
"This is not a normal situation. I’ve seen her over the last couple of days. She hasn’t looked great. I’ve seen her for years on the tour. I know what she looks like when she’s happy, when she’s healthy, when she’s playing well."
"When she’s playing well, on this surface, she’s one of if not the best player in the world. So what’s going on with her, I think it’s a lot more than we realize. This is terrible. It’s sad. She’s such a nice person. She’s so nice to be around all the time. We wish her well and hope she can find whatever she needs to."
