Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina pulled out of the French Open 2023 on Saturday. She made the decision before her third-round match because she is sick. The No.4-seeded Rybakina was supposed to take on 132nd-ranked Sara Sorribes Tormo in the day's opening contest on Court Philippe Chatrier.
“I just wanted to give 100%, and obviously I'm far from being 100%. If I cannot breathe, there is no chance I can even run and try to compete,” Rybakina said.
Rybakina announced at a news conference her decision of withdrawing from the tournament and explained why she was withdrawing from the year's second Grand Slam tournament.
Sounding stuffed up, Rybakina explained that she has been running a fever and had difficulty breathing during a warmup session Saturday ahead of her match.
"Yesterday and the day before I wasn't feeling good. I didn't sleep tonight. I have a fever. The right decision is to withdraw because it is tough to play in this condition. I am upset not to be able to play. It is life, there are ups and downs," she added.
Rybakina won her first major trophy in July last year by defeating Ons Jabeur in the final at Wimbledon. The 23-year-old won each of her first two matches this week in straight sets and was considered among the top contenders for the championship at Roland-Garros.
The walkover has allowed the 26-year-old Sorribes Tormo to progress to the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career.
