Nothing seems to be going in the way of Elena Rybakina at the moment. The former Wimbledon champion experienced a steep downfall of late and hasn’t won a title in more than 5 months. Her last victory came at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix back in April. However, form isn’t the only worry for the Kazakhstan star. Amid a disappointing run, she ended her partnership with longtime coach Stefano Vukov just before the US Open. Subsequently, she withdrew from the Grand Slam tournament in New York before the second round.

While Rybakina cited that her recent absence was due to injuries, a tennis insider has speculated different reasons for her withdrawals. Earlier this week, a tennis bigwig and Russian journalist, Sofya Tartakova, dropped an interview, highlighting an in-depth explanation of Rybakina’s recent struggles.

She revealed, “Many people do not understand the reason for such health problems. They said that she is having difficulties, back problems. This is the official reason. Then, during this year, she had stomach problems. But as people who did not work with her, but were involved in her professional career, say, she is now under a lot of stress, and this is all psychosomatic. She is now completely disorganized, she cannot play.”

Since withdrawing from the US Open second round, Rybakina has been away from the action. She has missed the tournaments in Seoul and Beijing recently, but these aren’t the only ones from which she has been absent. Rybakina has withdrawn and missed as many as 10 tournaments this year, significantly affecting her 2024 season. Nonetheless, she vows to come back stronger later this year.

Elena Rybakina hopeful about her WTA Finals chances

Before her injury struggles, Rybakina won 3 WTA titles this year, making her well-placed in the WTA singles race. She lies behind Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka in the third position despite her late absence of late. As a result, Elena Rybakina is confident about making a strong comeback at the year-ending championship.

While announcing her absence from the Asian swing, she said, “Due to an ongoing back injury, I regretfully have to withdraw from the upcoming Asian tournaments. While I’ve been working hard on my recovery, my medical team and I have decided it’s best to prioritize my health at this time. This has been a challenging year and I am grateful for the support from the tournament organizers and all of my fans. My team and I will work on getting me back on the court before the season finale.” 

Elena Rybakina began the year with a bang and won the Brisbane International, Abu Dhabi Open, and the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. However, with injuries taking a toll on her body, she lost her winning touch. Can she come back strongly and find success later this season? Let us know your views in the comments below.