Elena Rybakina Withdraws from WTA Finals Due to Injury

Elena Rybakina’s season has ended not with a roar in Riyadh, but with a statement and a sigh.

On the eve of the 2026 WTA Finals, the world No 1 and defending champion has withdrawn from the season-ending showpiece, citing a medical issue that her body simply would not let her play through.

She had been scheduled to open the tournament on Sunday against Linda Noskova in Group 1. Instead, her place in the draw goes to Marta Kostyuk, the world No 10 stepping into the spotlight at the last possible moment.

Rybakina, a three-time Grand Slam champion, did not hide her disappointment.

"I am really sad to inform all my fans and supporters that I unfortunately have to withdraw from the WTA Finals this year," she said in a statement. "I've had an incredible season but my body is just not physically ready to compete. I'm going to spend some time resting and recovering at home and getting myself ready for the 2027 season.

"The WTA Finals is a very special tournament and I wish everyone the best of luck this week. Can't wait to be back in Indian Wells in March!"

It is a brutal twist for a player who has turned the Finals into her personal stage. Last year in Riyadh she stormed through the field undefeated to lift the trophy, arriving as the last qualifier and leaving as the champion.

This year told a very different story. Rybakina was the first to qualify for the 2026 edition, her place secured as early as the late summer after she added the US Open to a glittering campaign. At 27, she has played with the authority of a No 1 who expects to be there for a while, not a visitor passing through.

Her numbers back that up. Rybakina will still close the year as world No 1 despite skipping the Finals, finishing with a 54-14 record and four titles: the Australian Open, Stuttgart, the US Open and the Ningbo Open. It is the kind of season that usually ends with a lap of honour at the Finals, not a withdrawal notice.

For the tournament, the implications are immediate. Noskova, who became Wimbledon’s youngest women’s singles champion since Petra Kvitova this summer at just 21, now prepares for a very different opening test. Instead of the top seed and reigning champion, she faces Kostyuk, a dangerous and increasingly confident presence on the big stages.

The change strips the event of its headline act but injects a different kind of intrigue. The defending champion is gone, the draw has shifted, and a new opportunity has opened for the rest of the field.

Rybakina’s season is over. Her grip on No 1 is not. The next question is simple: when she returns in 2027, who will still be standing in her way?