Elena Rybakina has become the latest star to abandon her campaign at the 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships, a tournament that has been plagued by a wave of retirements and withdrawals. Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek delivered the first major blow to the WTA 1000 event by choosing to withdraw, with Karolina Muchova, Victoria Mboko, Qinwen Zheng, Maria Sakkari and several others following in their wake. Additionally, the likes of Maria Sakkari, Hailey Baptiste and Jaqueline Cristian were all forced to retire during their matches.
Amid the concerning atmosphere in Dubai, Andre Agassi and Coco Gauff’s former coach, Brad Gilbert, has revealed how he feels about Rybakina’s decision to bow out.
Coco Gauff’s Former Coach Reacts to Elena Rybakina’s Dubai Retirement
Elena Rybakina, who was the top seed at the Dubai Tennis Championships in the absence of Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek, locked horns with Antonia Ružić in the third round. Although the Kazakh secured a commanding 6-1, 6-2 win over Kimberly Birrell, she struggled to display the same dominance against Ružić. With the Croatian leading 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 in the third set, Rybakina called for the physio and disclosed that she felt “pain in the legs” and was struggling with nausea. She then chose to retire from the match rather than exacerbate her condition.
The World No. 3 has been grappling with health concerns since her victory at the Australian Open, disclosing that a cold and a busy schedule left her with no opportunity to celebrate her triumph. “Honestly, it’s really not enough time. When I got back home, I also got a little cold, so I was not celebrating. I was literally in bed for couple of days. Then we had to go to Doha. It’s quite a busy schedule,” she said during her pre-tournament press conference in Dubai.
Brad Gilbert, who previously expressed his disbelief at the growing list of withdrawals and retirements at the WTA 1000 event, shared his thoughts on Rybakina’s unfortunate exit, “Another retirement at Dubai this time number one ☝️ seed Ryba, Oouch this tournament 🏟️ has some seriously bad luck this week.”
Another retirement at Dubai this time number one ☝️ seed Ryba, Oouch this tournament 🏟️ has some seriously bad luck this week
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) February 18, 2026
What Did Elena Rybakina’s Opponent Say After Reaching Dubai QF?
Despite losing the first round of qualifiers at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Antonia Ružić advanced to the main draw as a lucky loser due to the multiple withdrawals at the tournament. After beating Emma Raducanu and Anastasia Zakharova, Elena Rybakina’s retirement allowed Ružić to book her place in the quarterfinals of the WTA 1000 event.
Speaking to the media afterwards, the Croatian sent her best wishes to Rybakina and expressed satisfaction with her performance on the court. “First of all, I hope Elena gets well soon. Not the way I wanted to win this match today. Of course, I’m seeing her more in the future. Yes, first time as a lucky loser. You gotta take your second chance and I’m here taking it. I’m going to the quarter, so I’m happy how I played today,” Ružić said.
Ružić will square off against seventh seed Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals, following the Ukrainian’s 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 win over Belinda Bencic.
