What happened in Cincinnati
Cincinnati Open 2026, quarterfinals against Iga Świątek. Rybakina injured her left ankle during the match and could not continue; the retirement was recorded officially. It was her second withdrawal of the season - in February in Dubai she had retired in the third round with illness.
The timing could hardly have been worse: the US Open was less than a week away and she was in the middle of the race for the No. 1 ranking.
Did Rybakina play the US Open?
Yes. Despite speculation about a withdrawal she confirmed her entry and opened against Thea Frodin. No visible movement restrictions appeared over the fortnight: she beat Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, Yuliia Starodubtseva, Naomi Osaka, Zheng Qinwen, Coco Gauff and, in the final, Aryna Sabalenka - winning the title without dropping a match.
What that tells us. The problem was not structural but the kind that responds to taping and load management. Five matches in ten days in New York heat, two of them going the distance, is reasonable evidence that the ankle holds up.
Injuries and withdrawals
| When | Tournament | Cause | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | Wuhan Open | Injury | Withdrew before the event |
| September 2026 | Billie Jean King Cup Finals | Left ankle injury | Did not travel with the team |
| August 2026 | Cincinnati Open, quarterfinals | Left ankle injury | Retired mid-match |
| February 2026 | Dubai Championships, third round | Illness | Retired mid-match |
Autumn 2026: a pause after the US Open
After the US Open title the ankle spoke up again. On 18 September Rybakina withdrew from the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen and Kazakhstan played its quarterfinal without her. At the end of September the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation cancelled her press conference in Almaty on medical advice: she was getting over a virus.
She returned to court in Beijing, lost in the second round of the China Open on 3 October and said afterwards that she had felt her foot late in the match. The next day the Wuhan Open announced her withdrawal: according to the WTA, she took time to recover.
How it ended. The pause worked: two weeks later she won every match in Ningbo and defended the title, dropping no more than two games in a set in the final, then went straight on to Tokyo.
She has no chronic problems that force her to miss long stretches of the calendar: 56 matches in an incomplete 2026 season is one of the heavier schedules in the top ten.
Why ankle injuries matter for her specifically
Rybakina's game is built on the serve, and the serve is a push off and a landing on the front foot. Any restriction in the ankle costs first-serve speed more than it costs any other part of her game. That is why her physical team builds its work around ankle and knee stability rather than added muscle - more on the team page.
How the WTA medical protocol works
Tour rules allow one medical time-out per injury: three minutes for an examination by a physiotherapist plus treatment time. If the player cannot continue, a retirement is recorded - the opponent advances, and the prize money and points already earned are kept.
A separate rule governs withdrawals before a tournament begins: pulling out twenty-four hours or more before a first match carries no penalty, while withdrawing after the draw can bring a fine. That is why the decision about the US Open after Cincinnati went to the wire - withdrawing earlier would have removed the option of changing her mind.
Season load and the price of the calendar
Fifty-five official matches in an incomplete season is one of the heavier schedules in the top ten. Add intercontinental travel, four surface changes a year and compulsory WTA 1000 entries, where skipping an event without a medical certificate costs points.
For a player whose game is built on an explosive serve, the joints matter more than the muscles: ankle, knee and shoulder. Every serve is a push, a rotation and a landing on the front foot; across eighty serves in a match the load accumulates quickly.
That shapes how her physical team works: not added mass but joint stability, recovery control between matches and lighter weeks between tournament blocks.
Reading a retirement
A retirement is not the same as a withdrawal, and the difference matters for the record. A player who retires mid-match keeps the prize money and points already earned; the opponent advances with a win recorded against her name. A withdrawal before the match starts leaves no result at all.
Statistically, retirements cluster in exactly the situations Rybakina found herself in: back-to-back mandatory events, a hard surface, and a Grand Slam a week away. Playing on with a compromised joint risks a longer absence than the points are worth.
Her own record shows the pattern clearly: two retirements in 2026, both mid-match, and no pre-tournament withdrawals at all. She enters what she intends to play.
Related news
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Rybakina withdraws from Tokyo before the quarterfinal with a neck injury
On 30 October Elena Rybakina withdrew from the WTA 500 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo before her quarterfinal against Leylah Fernandez. The Canadian received a walkover into the semifinals, where she will play lucky loser Kamilla Rakhimova. According to the WTA, the reason is a neck injury. In her statement Rybakina explained that inflammation and pain in her neck had been affecting her ability to play at her best, called it a very difficult decision and said she hopes to be back in Tokyo next year. A day earlier she beat Yulia Putintseva 6-2, 6-3 and secured the year-end world No. 1 ranking for the first time in her career. Walkovers do not count in the head-to-head, so Rybakina still leads Fernandez 4-2. Next on her calendar is the WTA Finals in Indian Wells on 8–15 November, where she is the defending champion; how the injury affects her participation has not been announced yet.
Source: WTA, Tennis Explorer - TournamentsFitness
Rybakina withdraws from the Wuhan Open with injury
On 4 October the Wuhan Open announced that Elena Rybakina will not play the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan (12–18 October) because of injury. The decision came a day after her second-round loss to Alina Charaeva at the China Open. In an Instagram story Rybakina apologised to the fans who had been looking forward to seeing her play and said she would take some time to rest and recover. According to the WTA, she has been dealing with a lower leg and foot injury in recent months: it forced her to retire during the Cincinnati quarterfinal. Her next scheduled event is the WTA 500 in Ningbo (19–25 October), where she defends her 2025 title. In Wuhan in 2025 Rybakina reached the quarterfinals.
Source: WTA - FitnessInterviews
Rybakina's press conference in Almaty cancelled on doctors' advice
The Kazakhstan Tennis Federation has cancelled Elena Rybakina's press conference in Almaty altogether. The meeting with journalists had already been postponed once: it did not take place on 21 September because of her health, and a new date was set for Saturday, 26 September, at the Alatau tennis complex. The day before, the KTF said Rybakina's condition had worsened and doctors had advised her to cancel all activities and keep physical load and contact with people to a minimum; the federation also pointed to a virus that many Almaty residents are currently ill with. No new date for a media meeting has been set. The next tournament on the world No. 1's calendar is the China Open in Beijing: qualifying runs on 28-29 September and the main draw starts on 30 September. According to the WTA as of 26 September, Rybakina is not on the withdrawal list - those who have pulled out include Jessica Pegula and defending champion Amanda Anisimova. There has been no official statement yet on whether she is fit to play in Beijing.
Source: Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, sportarena.kz, WTA
Frequently asked questions
What happened to Elena Rybakina?
In August 2026 she injured her left ankle in the Cincinnati quarterfinals and retired against Iga Świątek.
Did Rybakina play the US Open after her injury?
Yes. She confirmed her entry and won the tournament - her first US Open title.
Why did Rybakina retire in Dubai?
In February 2026 she retired in the third round with illness - unrelated to the ankle injury.