As Elena Rybakina trailed Zheng Qinwen by a set and a break in their tight group-stage tussle at the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Monday, the odds were not in her favour. Still, she fought hard, retrieved the break and as her confidence grew, her own serve, one of the most destructive weapons in the sport, fell into place.
Rybakina's battles with fatigue and her 0-2 record in Riyadh underline her struggles at the end of a difficult season. Things had been going so well at the beginning of the year.
By the semi-finals of the Madrid Open in May, Rybakina had compiled a 30-4 record with three titles, including a spectacular win against Swiatek... However, those high hopes dissolved quickly in the second half of the season.
Rybakina has struggled to remain healthy since last year and in 2024 alone she has withdrawn or retired from 10 events with a variety of illnesses and injuries.
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