Tennis world number one Rybakina withdraws from WTA Finals due to virus

Defending champion Elena Rybakina has pulled out of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Finals, saying she was not physically ready to compete, allowing Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk to take her place in the eight-player field at Indian Wells. Organisers on Saturday cited a viral illness as the official reason for the world number one’s “disappointing” withdrawal, but said the world number one needs time to recover from the physical toll of a demanding year.

Tournament director Garbine Muguruza, a former world number one and two-time Grand Slam champion, said she had spoken with Rybakina and that the Kazakh had been unable to recover in time after struggling with physical problems late in the season. “We love Elena, and we know that she was feeling so-so in Tokyo as well,” Muguruza told the Reuters news agency.

“I spoke to her today, and she really couldn’t recover on time. “What we want is for her to feel good, to go rest, to recover.