Credit: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports
Defending Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina withdrew from the Eastbourne tournament Monday due to a lingering virus.
The 24-year-old Kazakhstan native pulled out just hours before her scheduled first-round match against China’s Xiyu Wang at the Rothesay International in Eastbourne, England.
Rybakina, ranked No. 3 in the world, had been the No. 1 seed for the WTA 500 grass-court tournament.
“I am still recovering from the virus I had in Paris and after Roland Garros it was really tough. I also picked up another small issue in Berlin,” Rybakina said. “So my team and I decided it would be better to recover this week and prepare for Wimbledon. I wish the tournament here in Eastbourne a great week and I hope I can be back next year.”
Rybakina will have played only two matches on grass this year by the time Wimbledon begins on July 3.
–Field Level Media