Rybakina Pulls Out of WTA Finals on Eve of Play as Injury Ends Her Title Defence

The warning signs were there all week, and on Saturday afternoon they finally caught up with the world No. 1. Elena Rybakina, the defending champion and the player who has owned women's tennis all year, has pulled out of the WTA Finals in Indian Wells, one day before the tournament was due to begin. Rybakina announced the decision herself in a statement released by the WTA, and there was no attempt to dress it up as anything other than what it is: her body has had enough. "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. "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 way for a remarkable season to end. Rybakina will still finish the year as the world's top-ranked player, and the numbers explain why: two Grand Slam titles, at the Australian Open and the US Open, four titles in all, and a 54-14 record for the year. She beat Aryna Sabalenka in both of those major finals, and she beat her again in last year's WTA Finals championship match. Nobody in the women's game has been harder to beat in 2026. But the last few days told a different story. Rybakina missed her scheduled media day earlier in the week because of illness, and the questions about her fitness only grew louder as the tournament drew closer. On Saturday, the doubt was replaced by certainty, and the season-ending event lost its biggest name before a ball had been struck. Her place in the draw goes to Marta Kostyuk, the Ukrainian who was waiting as the first alternate. Kostyuk steps straight into Group 1 and into the tournament's opening match on Sunday, against Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova. After that she faces Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula in her remaining round-robin matches, a daunting introduction to the biggest week of her season. It changes the shape of the whole event. Group 1 now reads Gauff, Pegula, Noskova and Kostyuk, while Sabalenka heads Group 2 alongside Mirra Andreeva, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Muchova. Sabalenka, the world No. 2, opens her campaign on Monday against Muchova, the one player in the field with a winning record against her. For Sabalenka, the path just got clearer. She has chased this title for years, reaching the final in 2022 and again last year, when Rybakina beat her. She has already won in Indian Wells this year, lifting the trophy there in March. With the defending champion gone, she will start the week as the favourite, even if she would never have wanted it this way. Rybakina's absence will be felt beyond the draw, too. The Finals have moved to Indian Wells for the first time, and the tournament had built its week around its new world No. 1, a player who had made the California desert her own in 2026. Instead, the season will close without her, and the sport's biggest prize will be decided by someone else. She will be back in Indian Wells in March, she said. For now, the rest of the field gets its chance.