Elena Rybakina’s name was the latest addition to the list of retirements and withdrawals from the ongoing Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. She faced the Croatian star Antonia Ružić in the Round of 16 on Wednesday, Feb. 18, and retired during the third set. The Kazakh champions’ shocking decision added another top star to the ever-growing list of players who have decided not to continue playing under the overcrowded WTA calendar.
Let’s take a look at what exactly happened during the match and why Rybakina chose not to continue with her match.
Elena Rybakina’s Withdrawal From Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships
Rybakina stepped foot on the court on Wednesday after defeating the Australian qualifier Kimberly Birrell in straight sets in her first match yesterday. During the Round of 16 clash against Ružić, the Kazakh Champion took the first set 7-5, but immediately began experiencing health issues and struggled throughout the match. She then lost the second set 6-4 and, during the third set, decided to end her Dubai WTA 1000 campaign while trailing 1-0.
After the Croatian broke the world No. 3, she called for the physio and described her condition. During her conversation, she told the physio that she woke up with a heavy head this morning, after her match from yesterday. She felt tired during the match, and even after taking energy supplements, she still couldn’t find her rhythm.
She then made up her mind that there was no point in continuing and risking injury and thus retired from the match. Rybakina went to the chair umpire, informed them of her decision, then went to Ružić’s side of the court and shook hands with her.
Elena Rybakina talks to the trainer before retiring against Antonia Ruzic due to fatigue 😢
Wishing Elena a speedy recovery ❤️🩹#DDFTennis pic.twitter.com/ji63CaAB4Y
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) February 18, 2026
Interestingly, the Croatian lost her first qualifying match to Rebecca Šramková in three sets but was called up to the main draw due to a growing number of withdrawals. Now, she is in the quarterfinals of the tournament and will face the winner of the round of 16 match between Belinda Bencic and Elina Svitolina.
Growing Withdrawal and Retirement List of Dubai WTA 1000 Raises Severe Concerns
The Dubai WTA 1000 event has been hit with multiple withdrawals and retirements, with 25 of the original 43 players that entered the main draw having either withdrawn or retired before the Round of 16. The top two players in the world, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek, withdrew just two days before the tournament commenced, prompting the director, Salah Tahlak, to demand strict action against them.
Along with them, Maria Sakkari and Qinwen Zheng withdrew due to illness, while Victoria Mboko couldn’t compete due to a right elbow injury. Barbora Krejčíková and Elisabetta Cocciaretto decided to withdraw from the tournament due to left thigh injuries, while Qatar Open winner Karolína Muchová withdrew, stating the same scheduling reason as Świątek.
Following these many withdrawals, many lucky losers were called up to compete in the main draw, including American Hailey Baptiste, who herself retired in the first round, Ružić, Anastasia Zakharova, Petra Marčinko, Kamilla Rakhimova, and the Frenchwoman Magdalena Fręch.
Just one day before, Paula Badosa suffered the same fate as Rybakina, retiring from her Round of 32 match against Elina Svitolina due to a recurring back injury. To address the demanding calendar, WTA announced the creation of a Tour Architecture Council to review the overall structure of the women’s tour.
World No. 5 Jessica Pegula is the chair of this newly formed body, aiming to improve the situation starting from the 2027 season.
