Karolina Muchova announced her sensational withdrawal at the WTA Finals in Cancun. The event, which will start on October 29th and end on November 5th 2023, will already see a first protagonist announce her withdrawal from the final tournament. The Czech, who returned to high levels this season by reaching her first Slam final, will not be among the eight tennis players who will play the year-end Masters. At the Roland Garros, she was defeated, in the decisive match to win the title, by Iga Swiatek, another player present in Cancun for the final title.
Maria Sakkari will replace Karolina Muchova
Replacing Karolina Muchova in Cancun will be Maria Sakkari. The Greek tennis player was ninth in the Race and will take her place at the Cancun Finals. Thus, this year’s winner of a WTA 1000 will participate in the final tournament again. It is the third consecutive time for the tennis player from Athens, former number 3 in the world. Sakkari will join the other players present and who should be confirmed for now. In Cancun, in an open construction site regarding the final facility, there will be the main protagonists of this 2023, from Slam finalists to champions (new and old) of a Major title. Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina, Ons Jabeur, Marketa Vondrousova, who remains the only Czech tennis player left in the tournament, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula is the complete lineup, to which Sakkari can now be added. Through an Instagram post, Muchova announced the reason for her withdrawal, writing: “It breaks my heart to announce that I will miss my first WTA finals in Cancun. Together with the team and the doctors we tried everything until the last moments to resolve my wrist injury. Unfortunately, the time needed for recovery is longer than we would have hoped and therefore I had to make this unpleasant decision. I really appreciate the support of all the fans. I will do my best to come back in 2024 and have another chance to be part of the WTA Finals.”