Elena Rybakina is widely regarded as one of, if not the best, grass-court players on the WTA Tour.
After all, with arguably one of the greatest serves in the history of the women’s game, and incredibly vicious speed in her groundstrokes, the natural tools are there for success.
That being said, this particular grass-court season has been less than ideal for the 27-year-old.
Elena Rybakina suffered a shock defeat in Queen’s last week to Katie Boulter, before losing in her opening-round match to Alex Eala in Berlin days ago.
How far will Elena Rybakina go at Wimbledon this year?
The world number two is really struggling…
These were inexplicable defeats for a player of her stature, but now we appear to have some form of explanation.
Elena Rybakina explains why she has withdrawn from Bad Homburg
Taking to the official Bad Homburg social media, Rybakina issued a statement explaining why she will be absent from the upcoming event.
She admitted: “Unfortunately, I have to withdraw from Bad Homburg due to some discomfort in my right hip. I need to consult with my medical team and undergo further assessment before making any decisions about the next steps. Thank you for your understanding and support.”
Alex Eala made an interesting comment about Rybakina’s tennis after their match in Berlin earlier this week, in what was her second shock loss in as many weeks.
Who did Elena Rybakina have to beat en route to the 2022 Wimbledon title?
Rybakina headed into the 2022 Wimbledon Championships as a threat, but far from a genuine title contender.
After all, as the 17th seed, there were a handful of names far more fancied than her.
Alas, when she started picking up speed with each passing win, many
Rybakina kickstarted her campaign with four routine straight-sets wins over CoCo Vandweghe, Bianca Andreescu, Qinwen Zheng and Petra Martic, setting up a quarter-final clash with Ajla Tomljanovic.
Who wins more Grand Slams in their career – Elena Rybakina or Aryna Sabalenka?
There, the Kazakhstani dropped her first set of the tournament, but rallied from behind to win, before another simple semi-final success over Simona Halep.
Again, Rybakina fell a set down in the final, this time against the number three seed, Ons Jabeur.
However, her undying spirit and clean ball-striking shone through to overpower the Minister of Happiness and secure her maiden Major title.
