Elena Rybakina has clarified that her Tokyo withdrawal had nothing to do with her previously calling out the WTA. After Rybakina wasn’t rewarded a top-4 seeding and a first-round bye in Tokyo due to the WTA’s trialing of “performance byes,” Over the weekend, Rybakina wrote on her Instagram Story: “Performance bye. Thank you for changing the rules last moment. Great decisions as always @wta.” Rybakina’s Instagram Story also included clown and circus emojis. On Monday, Rybakina pulled out of Tokyo and many wondered if the 2022 Wimbledon champion made the move to make a statement to the WTA. āAs a player I want to give my all on the court and at the moment my body is not ready to do that. That’s why I decided to listen to my body and withdraw from the tournament. I love Japan, my fans here are so unique and for that reason this is a tough decision. The WTA topic is another topic, on which I have my opinions and will clearly voice them in future. To my fans. thank you for your support, I appreciate it very much,” Rybakina wrote on her Instagram Story.
Rybakina won’t be making her second Tokyo appearance this year
Last year, 24-year-old Rybakina made Tokyo debut. In her first appearance in the Japanese capital, Rybakina didn’t really impress since she suffered a first-round loss to Liudmila Samsonova. This year, Rybakina was scheduled to make her second Tokyo appearance. Unfortunately, Rybakina’s second Tokyo appearance will have to wait for another year. “I’m really sorry to have to withdraw from Tokyo this year. I was really looking forward to playing the event and I love the city. I have to prioritize my health and fitness and need time to get to 100 percent health,” Rybakina said in a statement earlier today. It remains to be seen if Rybakina will be forced to miss any additional tournaments.