World no. The player with the most promising player in 2023 Elena Rybakina had to withdraw from Stuttgart Open because of a painful lower-back injury. Elena decided to quit the match in the round of 16, against Brazilian Beatriz haddad maia. The 23-year old was forced to take a break from the match. She is slowly becoming a fan favorite during this clay season. The player was preparing to win her second Grand Slam at the French Open. This injury is a big concern for her.
Rybakina was clearly in pain from the very start of the match. After winning only one point in the opening set, she called for a timeout. In the second set, she called for a second timeout when she was 2-1 down. She was unable to move as well on court as usual. She had two breakpoints in the first set, but due to her lower-back she wasn’t able to take advantage of them.
Elena Rybakina has been in top form in 2023 and has shown that she is dangerous on any surface, even clay. She won the first round of the Porsche Grand Prix Stuttgart Open with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Jule Nimeier. If she beat Haddad Maia, the stage was set for a quarter-final clash with Ons Jabeur. But fate had other plans.
Elena Rybakina’s clay court journey
Elena Rybakina won all the matches that she played in 2023. The Kazakh player won the Billie Jean King Cup in two-set matches with Magda Linette, and Weronika falkowska. Rybakina’s best clay season was in 2021, even though 2023 has so far been a successful year, including the Australian Open finals, Indian Wells Championship, and the title. After defeating Serena Williams in quarter-finals, she reached the French Open semi-finals. Rybakina became a household name after her match against Williams. She was beaten by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the semi-final.
Elena Rybakina has had the most success in 2023 on hard courts. Roland Garros commentedafter Elena’s Indian Wells win, saying “Talent will always out.”
I hope to see Elena fully recovered from her injury and ready for the French Open, which is the biggest clay event of them all. French Open 2023 begins on May 28th, and ends on the 11th of June.
