French Open 2023: World No.4 Elena Rybakina Withdraws Due To Respiratory Illness

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World No.4 Elena Rybakina has pulled out of the French Open due to an upper respiratory illness. The current Wimbledon champion made the announcement before her third-round match against Spain's Sara Sorribes Tormo. Rybakina, 23, revealed that she started feeling unwell after her second-round match. Despite hoping to compete, she struggled to endure even 10 minutes of court time.

Elena Rybakina on withdrawal from Roland Garros:

"I had a fever, headache, I think you can hear it also_"

She sounds really ill. Her voice is raspy & it sounds like she's been coughing all night. I'm surprised she even went to the press conference ____

pic.twitter.com/xuj10PJjLY

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 3, 2023

According to WTA, Rybakina stated, "I saw the doctor and they said that actually, it's all a virus here in Paris. I guess with my allergy, my immune system just went down and I picked up something. As I said, I was not sleeping well for two days. I had a fever and headache. I think you can hear [my voice] also." She added, "So, yeah, it's difficult to perform and obviously to run and even breathe. So I think that was the only right decision I could make."

Having triumphed in two WTA 1000 events this year, including a recent victory on clay in Rome, Rybakina aimed to capitalize on her momentum in Paris after reaching the quarterfinals in 2021. She had not dropped a set in her first two matches, defeating Brenda Fruhvirtova and Linda Noskova. Her 6-3, 6-3 win over Noskova marked her eighth consecutive victory.

Expressing her disappointment, Rybakina remarked, "Of course, I'm really upset about not being able to play, but I guess that's life. There are a lot of ups and downs. Today I just wanted to give 100 percent, and obviously, I'm far from being 100 percent." She further explained, "Yeah, I was actually coming positive here, but as I said, you never know how you're gonna feel. Was unlucky for me. Yeah, I just try to recover and do my best to be prepared for the grass season already."

Rybakina's upcoming tournaments during the grass season include Berlin, Eastbourne, and her title defense at Wimbledon. With her withdrawal, Sorribes Tormo advances through a walkover and secures her first Round of 16 appearance in a Grand Slam. She will face the winner between 14th-seed Beatriz Haddad Maia and 23rd-seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.