Elena Rybakina’s 2024 season has continued to go downhill after it was reported that she will not participate in the upcoming WTA 500 tournament in Seoul, South Korea. The Korea Open will be played from September 16 to 22.
Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, and defending champion Jessica Pegula were initially set to headline the 2024 Korean Open. However, Rybakina and Pegula have withdrawn from the tournament. Emma Navarro, the World No. 8, will now be seeded No. 2 behind Swiatek at the Korean Open, which has been upgraded from the WTA 250 to the WTA 500 category this year.The Kazakh No. 1’s decision to pull out of the Korean Open came after her surprising withdrawal just moments before her second-round contest at the 2024 US Open. Rybakina cited “injuries” behind her withdrawal in New York.
Tennis fans were disheartened to see the former Wimbledon champion pull out of yet another tournament. Rybakina has withdrawn from seven tournaments so far this year due to illness and injuries.Fans took to social media to express their disappointment at another withdrawal from the 25-year-old, stating that she is not prioritizing tennis and questioning her commitment.
“I guess tennis is not her main priority at this moment,” a fan tweeted.
“Queen of withdrawing from tennis event,” a fan commented.
“Yes, I’m already tired of her refusing to participate in tournaments. What kind of athlete is she?” a fan opined.
Some fans strongly believed that the Kazakh would end the year without a Grand Slam or a WTA-1000 title, given her recent form, and urged her to shift the focus to the 2025 season. A fan also noted that things have only gone from bad to worse for Rybakina this year, and that she would not be playing tennis again this year if it weren’t for the WTA Finals.
“To think Elena is going to end the year without winning any Grand Slam or WTA 1000 titles is just absolutely tragic. I fear she’s given up on the rest of the season and just wants to focus on preparing for Australia and the start of 2025,” a fan wrote.
“Last year she only played in Beijing. But this year things are going worse. Unfortunately, the outlook is not looking very encouraging. If the WTA finals were not there, I would say that she would not play again until next year, but who knows? We will be here waiting for her,” another fan said.
Fans also expressed worry about Elena Rybakins’s health and joked that they should not expect her to play at the year-end championships either.
“I’m praying her doctors find out what is really wrong. I’m worried about her health,” another fan wrote on X.
“I want to go back to when i thought the blinkova tiebreak was the worst thing that could happen,” another fan tweeted.
“At this rate she’s skipping WTA Finals lol,” said another fan.
Elena Rybakina has won three titles on WTA Tour 2024 despite injury struggles
Elena Rybakina made a fantastic start to the 2024 season, winning a title in her first tournament of the year. The Kazakh did not drop a set en route to the WTA 500 title at the Brisbane International but failed to carry that form at the Adelaide International and Australian Open. However, she regained her confidence at the WTA 500 Abu Dhabi Open, which was her second title of the year.
Elena Rybakina then finished runner-up at the WTA 1000 Qatar Open and Miami Open. Her third title of 2024 again came at another WTA 500 tournament. She reigned supreme on the indoor clay courts of Stuttgart to pick her eighth tour-level title. This was followed by a semifinal finish at the Madrid Open and a quarterfinal finish at the French Open.Rybakina’s last notable performance on the tour came at the Wimbledon Championships, where she reached the semifinals. Since then, she has struggled to muster wins and bowed out of the Cincinnati Open and the US Open in the second round. The World No. 4 is next expected to play at the WTA 1000 China Open in Beijing.
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