World No.4 Elena Rybakina withdrew from the French Open on Saturday in advance of her third-round match against Sara Sorribes Tormo of Spain, citing a respiratory illness.
The reigning Wimbledon champion, Rybakina sailed through her first two rounds of play but started feeling under the weather after her second-round victory over Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic, she told reporters in Paris.
Rybakina, a 23-year-old who represents Kazakhstan, said how she felt in a short practice told her she wasn’t well.
“I saw the doctor and they said that actually it’s all a virus here in Paris,” she said. “I guess with my allergy, immune system just went down and I picked up something. … I was not sleeping well for two days. I had fever, headache. I think you can hear [my voice] also.
“So, yeah, it’s difficult to perform and obviously to run and even breathe. So I think that was the only right decision I could make.”
Rybakina came to Paris playing well, winning the title on the clay courts in Rome two weeks ago. Her straight-sets victory over Noskova was her eighth straight win.
–Field Level Media
