Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina pulls out of French Open due to illness

Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina has pulled out of the French Open due to a viral illness ahead of her third-round match. Rybakina has not been feeling well due to continuous fever, which led to a couple of sleepless nights. In a media conference, the player expressed her disappointment as she was one of the strong contenders to win the  Women Singles category in the tournament.

“I was not feeling good yesterday and the day before so I didn’t sleep two nights and had a fever. Today I really tried during the warm-up but I feel that the right decision is to withdraw because it’s really tough to play in this condition. I saw the doctor, and they said that actually, it’s all a virus here in Paris. I guess with my allergy, my immune system just went down and I picked up something," she said.

Rybakina was considered as one of the leading players along with Iga Swiatek and Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka. “I’m really upset not be able to play, but I guess that’s life,” Rybakina added. “There are a lot of ups and downs. Today I just wanted to give 100%, and obviously, I’m far from being 100%.