World No. 1 Elena Rybakina withdraws from the WTA Finals

Rybakina to skip the WTA Finals

World No. 1 Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from the 2026 WTA Finals, which will be held from November 8 to 15 in Indian Wells, USA. The athlete announced her withdrawal on November 7: Gazeta.Ru quotes her words citing journalist Christian Basnayt, while Life.ru cites a statement from the WTA press service.

Reason for withdrawal and replacement

The 27-year-old tennis player explained her decision by her physical condition. «I have had an incredible season, but right now my body is not physically ready to compete. I plan to spend some time at home, rest and recover in order to prepare for the 2027 season,» Gazeta.Ru quotes her as saying. Life.ru also cites another statement from her: «I am very sad to tell all my fans and supporters that, unfortunately, I have to withdraw from this year's WTA Finals.» According to Life.ru, Rybakina expressed hope to return to Indian Wells in March next year.

Who this affects

Rybakina's place at the tournament will be taken by Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, who, according to Life.ru, will play in one group with Americans Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula, as well as Czech Linda Noskova. The second group will feature Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Elina Svitolina and Karolina Muchova; Russian Diana Shnaider remains the alternate.

Season context

The withdrawal became an unexpected end to one of the most successful seasons of Rybakina's career: in 2026 she won four tournaments, including the Australian Open and the US Open, and on October 29 she secured the year-end world No. 1 ranking. In September, she topped the world rankings for the first time, displacing Sabalenka after her US Open victory. At the same time, the Kazakh was supposed to defend the WTA Finals title she won in 2025. In total, she has 14 WTA titles, three of which are Grand Slam tournaments.