Elena Rybakina withdraws from WTA Finals, Digi Mart USA News (Indian Wells, California): World No. 1 Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the WTA Masters tournament, which begins Sunday in Indian Wells, California. The Kazakh player said her body is not physically ready for competition.
“It was an incredible season, but my body is simply not physically ready for competition,” Rybakina said. “I am going to spend some time at home resting and recovering, in order to prepare for the 2027 season.”
Rybakina had already been forced to withdraw from the WTA 500 tournament in Tokyo in late October due to a neck injury. The Moscow-born player enjoyed the best season of her career, winning the Australian Open early in the year and the US Open in September, which carried her to the top of the world rankings.
The 27-year-old arrived at the Masters as the favorite and defending champion. She won the previous edition against her rival Aryna Sabalenka, the current world No. 2, in Riyadh.
Rybakina will be replaced by Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk (WTA 10), who will make her entry against Czech player Linda Noskova (8) on Sunday.
