Elena Rybakina withdraws from WTA Finals after two-major season

Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the WTA Finals, ending her hopes of defending the title after a season in which she became world number one and won two Grand Slam tournaments. BBC Sport reported that the 27-year-old Kazakh announced her decision on the eve of the event in Indian Wells, saying she did not feel physically ready to play.

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Rybakina said she would return home to rest and recover before preparing for the 2027 season. She expressed disappointment at missing the tournament after what she described as an exceptional year. Her statement, as reported by the BBC, did not identify a specific injury; the reason she gave was her body's lack of readiness for competition.

She had been due to open her campaign on Sunday. A successful defence would have made her the first woman to win consecutive WTA Finals titles since Serena Williams in 2014. Instead, the withdrawal brings an end to Rybakina's competitive year without an opportunity to pursue that achievement at the season-ending tournament.

Her absence follows victories at both the Australian Open and US Open in 2026, alongside titles in Stuttgart and Ningbo. She also reached the finals in Indian Wells and Toronto. Those results made this the most successful season of her career, according to the BBC, and ended a wait of nearly four years for another major trophy after Wimbledon in 2022.

The US Open final also changed the order at the top of the rankings. Rybakina's victory over Aryna Sabalenka ended the Belarusian's 99-week spell as number one and took Rybakina to the summit for the first time. She subsequently secured the year-end number one ranking while playing in Tokyo in October, before deciding to miss the Finals.

Rybakina finishes with 54 wins from 68 matches this season, including 17 victories in 19 Grand Slam matches. The BBC also credited her with a tour-leading 438 aces, 140 more than Sabalenka, and 1,775 winners. Her 10 victories against top-10 opponents were another tour best, underlining the results behind a breakthrough year that now concludes with recovery rather than a title defence.