Injury struggles continue for Elena Rybakina as Kazakh retires from Berlin QF against Victoria Azarenka with new abdomen injury

Elena Rybakina retired from her Berlin 2024 quarterfinal final match against Victoria Azarenka due to abdominal pain. The tournament is added to a growing list of events from which the Kazakh had to withdraw due to injury this season.

Following her quarterfinal exit at the French Open and an end to the claycourt season, at least temporarily, Rybakina began her grasscourt campaign with the WTA 500 tournament in Berlin. She got the better of Veronika Kudermetova in the round of 16.

The Kazakh faced Azarenka on June 21 at the Steffi Graf Stadion in the quarterfinal of the tournament. The former World No. 1 broke early and led 3-1 in the first set. Rybakina served in the fifth game and led 15-0 before committing a double fault.

During the two fault serves, Rybakina seemed to be groggy and fighting to get through the game. However, right after the error, she sat down on her bench in visible discomfort and jogged to the locker room soon after. The World No. 4 did not even wait for a medical evaluation on the court.

Following the happenings on the court, it was announced by the official WTA X (formerly Twitter) account that Rybakina had retired from the match. She was facing abdominal issues.

With the Wimbledon just days away, this is a worrying sign for the 2022 champion. Another former Wimbledon champion, Marketa Vondrousova, also retired from the Berlin tournament due to a leg injury on June 20.

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Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from multiple tournaments due to health issues this season

Elena Rybakina at the Ladies Open Berlin 2024.

Although Elena Rybakina has won three titles this season and has been in commendable form, she has struggled with illness. She has withdrawn from two tournaments where she was the defending champion, the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and Italian Open.

The Berlin Open is the latest in the unwanted list. The Kazakh opened up about her struggles after she lost in the quarterfinal of the 2024 French Open against eventual runner-up Jasmine Paolini.

“I think in the end my legs were not there... No matter which conditions, if it’s slow or fast, I should have been moving better…. So I’m not really happy with the performance, but it is what it is. It’s tennis. Not every day you can play good," Rybakina explained in a press conference

“As I was saying, I was struggling a little bit with the health issues (in the) past few weeks — I think it’s just all together. But in the end no matter all these things, which were maybe happening outside of the court, I managed to get to the quarters. I think it’s (a) pretty good result," she added.

Elena Rybakina will hope to make a recovery in less than 10 days as Wimbledon begins on July 1.