Sports Reporter.
Third seed Elena Rybakina became the latest high-profile withdrawal from the Olympic tennis competition Thursday, hours after the draw was made at Roland Garros.
Kazakhstan’s former Wimbledon champion has pulled out of the singles and mixed doubles in which she was due to partner Alexander Bublik.
No reason was given for her decision.
France’s Caroline Garcia will move into Rybakina’s spot in the draw as the 17th seed, while Australia’s Daria Saville enters the draw as an alternate.
In mixed doubles, Rybakina and Bublik have been replaced by Argentina’s Nadia Podoroska and Maximo Gonzalez to face third seeds Coco Gauff and Taylor Fritz.
Rybakina has started and stopped numerous times in 2024, primarily due to illnesses. In addition to the Olympics, her pre-tournament withdrawals include Indian Wells, Rome and Eastbourne. She also pulled out ahead of her Dubai quarterfinal and retired four games into her second-round match at Berlin.
The 25-year-old last competed at Wimbledon, falling in the semifinals to eventual champion Barbora Krejcikova.