Elena Rybakina turns up at Yonex’s event in Tokyo hours after withdrawing from the Japan Open due to fitness concerns, expected to comment on WTA’s rule changes soon

Elena Rybakina features in a Yonex event at Tokyo after deciding to withdraw from the upcoming Tokyo Open moments ahead of the tournament.

Elena Rybakina turns up at Yonex’s event in Tokyo hours after withdrawing from the Japan Open due to fitness concerns, expected to comment on WTA’s rule changes soon

Elena Rybakina at the Yonex Event in Tokyo. (credits: Tennis.com, Instagram)

Kazakhstan tennis star Elena Rybakina was all set to play at the Tokyo Open, but she withdrew from the competition just moments ahead of her first-round matchup against Kalinina. While she cited her fitness as the basic reason behind her decision, many fans were talking about the partiality of the WTA with her, which forced her to withdraw from the tournament. 

But just hours after her decision, she decided to play at the Yonex event, as she had been sponsored by the sports brand. In Tokyo, which involved a fully packed stadium, she enjoyed her involvement in the event, giving her Japan fans a moment to cheer about as they won’t be able to witness her at the upcoming Tokyo Open.

https://youtu.be/7mdyHPBdTlQ?si=tLPKD82jUvDQas4G

She recently posted a story on her Instagram speaking about missing the Tokyo Open saying, “As a player, I want to give my all on the court, and at the moment my body is not ready to do that.”

FS Video

She added, “That’s why I decided to listen to my body and withdraw from the tournament. I love Japan, my fans here are so unique and for that reason, this is a tough decision.” She also stated that she is all set to speak about WTA in the future for their ways of treatment by adding, “The WTA topic is another topic, on which I have my opinions and will clearly voice them in future.”

Also Read: Maria Sharapova breaks the hearts of fans by admitting to not missing the sport as she attends the opening day of the US Open 2023

Throwback to when Elena Rybakina shocked the world at the French Open:

After her split with Nike way back in 2019, Elena Rybakina has been sponsored by Adidas ever since. But at the 2023 Roland Garros, things took a different toll as she shocked the entire tennis world with her switch. She was seen donning Adidas gear during her training sessions ahead of her first-round encounter against Brenda Fruhvirtova.

Elena Rybakina in action during a match. (credits: Tennis-Infinity.com)

But on the match day, she was seen wearing a bright pink dress with her sponsor Yonex visible along with her secondary sponsor, Red Bull. She also wore a Yonex cap but decided to stay loyal to Adidas by still wearing the Black Adidas Avacourt Clay. Later, Yonex posted on Instagram saying, “Starting a new chapter with Elena Rybakina #TeamYonex.”

In case you missed it:

Do follow Firstsportz on WhatsApp Channel