Rybakina Misses WTA Finals Media Day With Illness as Title Defence Hangs in Doubt

The WTA Finals have not started yet, and already the defending champion is a question mark. Elena Rybakina, the world No. 1, did not appear for her pre-tournament press conference at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Friday, with WTA officials describing her only as "not feeling well." Her session has been moved to Saturday. She is not due on court until Sunday, when she opens her title defence against Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, so the delay itself is not decisive — but nobody at the tournament is pretending it is nothing, either. Every other qualifier completed her media duties on Friday. Rybakina's absence stood out precisely because of how the season has gone for her. This is a player who has spent much of the year fighting her own body: allergies, the after-effects of a summer foot problem, and a neck injury that forced her out of her Tokyo quarter-final just last week. Fans noticed quickly, and the reaction online was equal parts worry and weary familiarity. "She can't catch a break," one wrote, after news spread that her scheduled practice session with Mirra Andreeva had also been called off. The WTA has a contingency in place. Marta Kostyuk, the world No. 10 from Ukraine, is on site as the alternate and would step in if Rybakina cannot compete. That is the rule, and it is there for exactly this situation, but it would be a strange way for a title defence to end before it begins — the top seed, the defending champion, replaced before a ball is struck. For now, the assumption is that Rybakina will play. Her camp has given no indication of a withdrawal, and the rescheduled press conference on Saturday will be watched closely for any sign of how she is feeling. The tennis itself, if she is fit, promises plenty. She has won all three of her meetings with Noskova in straight sets, most recently at Wuhan in 2025, and she has not lost to any of her three group opponents all year. Noskova, for her part, is under no illusions about the task. "Well, she is world No. 1 right now. It's the toughest match that I can have in the first round obviously," the 21-year-old Czech said. "It is going to be a battle. I am going to try to play my best game and see what happens." That battle is the opening match of the tournament, and it sets the tone for a group that also includes Coco Gauff, the 2024 champion, and Jessica Pegula, the 2023 runner-up. Rybakina arrived in Indian Wells as the favourite to keep her crown. Whether she arrives on court at full strength is now the first real storyline of the week — and the answer comes on Sunday.