Elena Rybakina's Wimbledon title defense in doubt after latest Eastbourne International withdrawal

Elena Rybakina’s latest withdrawal from the WTA 250 Eastbourne International has raised concerns over her upcoming Wimbledon title defense.

On Monday, June 26, reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina pulled out of her opening round encounter against Xiyu Wang at the Eastbourne International. While she was seen on the practice courts before the match, the Kazakh cited a prolonged viral illness as the reason for her withdrawal.

Rybakina commenced her 2023 grasscourt campaign last week. She was in action at the German Open in Berlin. The 24-year-old scored a win in the opening round but crashed out in the next round against eventual runner-up Donna Vekic.

Prior to her participation in Berlin, the World No. 3 participated in the French Open, where she pulled out of her third-round match-up due to a viral illness.

At the time, the Italian Open champion had revealed that she was dealing with a fever and headache and was unable to breathe. She also blamed the pollen allergy she suffered during her campaign in Rome for her weakened immune system.

“I had fever, headache. Just all of a sudden, I start to feel bad, and it was not better at all. I saw the doctor, and they said it's all a virus here in Paris. I guess with my allergy, immune system just went down and I picked up something,” she said at the time.

With her Eastbourne International withdrawal, Elena Rybakina has a dark cloud hanging over her regarding her Wimbledon participation.

While the player has no points to defend at the event, she is the defending champion and will hope to rest and recover in time for her second Grand Slam title pursuit.

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"I'm not 100 per cent physically where I want to be" – Elena Rybakina ahead of Wimbledon

Elena Rybakina at the 2023 French Open

Elena Rybakina opened up about her illness before her Eastbourne International withdrawal. During a press conference on June 25, the Kazakh revealed that her viral illness got worse after she pulled out of the French Open.

“It’s been tough actually. At the French Open, after I withdrew, I went back to the hotel and it was even worse so I had to stay in Paris for a few days, not leaving the room,” the 24-year-old said.

The player stated that she isn’t at her best physically. Rybakina said that she hopes to get a few more grasscourt matches under her belt before Wimbledon. However, her latest withdrawal means that if she does contest the Slam, she will do so with hardly any match practice.

“I still think that I’m not 100 per cent physically where I want to be but slowly it’s getting better and hopefully I can get some more matches here and feel more comfortable at Wimbledon,” she had said.

Elena Rybakina also noted that the Wimbledon Championships this year will hold greater significance as she faces the daunting task of defending her title.

“It’s the first time and it’s a new challenge for me to come as a defending champion and everybody saying like I’m kind of the favourite so it is different,” Rybakina said.