Elena Rybakina issues a statement after withdrawing from two more WTA tournaments in Asia

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Elena Rybakina has pulled out of yet more WTA tournaments, as both questions and fear grow over her off-court situation.

After the semi-finals of Wimbledon, Elena Rybakina has spent more time withdrawing from tournaments than playing.

A difficult decision to pull out of the Olympics saw Rybakina cite bronchitis as the cause for her absence.

An eleventh hour pull-out at the US Open ahead of her second round match has been followed by what is now her third consecutive withdrawal, as she exits the China Open.

The former Wimbledon champion has been plagued with injuries and illness this year, and off-court has recently split with long-term coach Stefano Vukov.

Elena Rybakina shares ‘challenging’ decision to pull out of the China Open

Having joined a long list of top 10 withdrawals from the Korea Open, Rybakina is now set to miss her next couple, with Wuhan and Beijing on the horizon.

The WTA released this statement on behalf of Rybakina today on X: “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.”

After her US Open withdrawal, Rybakina similarly cited her back as the central injury she was suffering with, however with the departure of her coach, the theories are everywhere.

The defending champion Iga Swiatek is also set to miss the Beijing Open as athletes attempt to manage their schedules late in the season.

Scheduling woes and injuries have caused the ATP and WTA to be the target of fresh criticism

At the Laver Cup, Carlos Alcaraz unloaded on the ATP saying ‘they’re going to kill us,’ in reference to extreme scheduling strain.

The Olympics was also without world number one Jannik Sinner who was forced out after contracting tonsillitis.

While people get ill and athletes get injured, the trend is looking really rather dangerous. Swiatek issued a warning to the WTA back in Cincinnati explaining that player welfare was not being completely considered.