Elena Rybakina, Reigning Wimbledon Champion, Pulls Out of French Open Due to Sickness

Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 1, 2023 Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina during her second round match against Czech Republic's Linda Noskova. (Reuters)
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 1, 2023 Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina during her second round match against Czech Republic's Linda Noskova. (Reuters)
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Elena Rybakina, Reigning Wimbledon Champion, Pulls Out of French Open Due to Sickness

Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 1, 2023 Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina during her second round match against Czech Republic's Linda Noskova. (Reuters)
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 1, 2023 Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina during her second round match against Czech Republic's Linda Noskova. (Reuters)

Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina pulled out of the French Open before her third-round match on Saturday because she is sick.

“I just wanted to give 100%, and obviously I’m far from being 100%,” Rybakina said. “If I cannot breathe, there is no chance I can even run and try to compete.”

The No. 4-seeded Rybakina was supposed to face 132nd-ranked Sara Sorribes Tormo in the day's opening contest on Court Philippe Chatrier.

They were scheduled to begin playing at 11:45 a.m. local time, but instead, at that very moment, Rybakina sat down behind the microphone at a news conference to explain why she was withdrawing from the year's second Grand Slam tournament.

Sounding stuffed up, Rybakina explained that she has been running a fever, didn't sleep well the past two nights and had difficulty breathing during a warmup session Saturday ahead of her match. She said a doctor told her there is a virus going around “here in Paris.”

Rybakina, who won each of her first two matches this week in straight sets, was considered among the top contenders for the championship at Roland Garros. She has won her past 10 matches, including a tuneup title on red clay at the Italian Open last month.

She plays a power-built game based in part on one of the best serves on the WTA Tour, which she leads in aces this season.

Last July, Rybakina won her first major trophy, defeating Ons Jabeur in the final at Wimbledon.

Rybakina is a 23-year-old who was born in Moscow and has represented Kazakhstan since 2018, when that country offered her funding to support her tennis career. The switch was a topic of conversation during Wimbledon, because the All England Club barred athletes who represent Russia or Belarus from entering the tournament in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine.

The walkover allows the 26-year-old Sorribes Tormo to advance to the fourth round of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career.



Verstappen Wins Japanese Grand Prix for His First Victory of F1 Season

Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 6, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium after winning the Japanese Grand Prix. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 6, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium after winning the Japanese Grand Prix. (Reuters)
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Verstappen Wins Japanese Grand Prix for His First Victory of F1 Season

Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 6, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium after winning the Japanese Grand Prix. (Reuters)
Formula One F1 - Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka, Japan - April 6, 2025 Red Bull's Max Verstappen celebrates on the podium after winning the Japanese Grand Prix. (Reuters)

Max Verstappen of Red Bull won Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix and broke a "mini-slump" of only two wins in his previous 16 races.

It was the Dutch driver's fourth straight victory on the Suzuka circuit in central Japan and breaks the momentum of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who won the season’s first two races in Melbourne, Australia, and Shanghai, China.

The four-time defending Formula 1 champion, Verstappen started from pole position after setting a course-record time in qualifying, which he called "insane." Norris placed second and Piastri was third. The track was dry despite rain earlier in the day to produce an incident-free race.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished fourth followed by George Russell of Mercedes and teammate Kimi Antonelli in sixth. Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda finished 12th in his first drive with Red Bull's top team.

"We keep pushing," Verstappen said. "Unbelievable. A great weekend for us."

Norris leads the driver’s standings after three races with 62 points to 61 for Verstappen.

The weekend turned when Verstappen took the pole on his record last lap Saturday in qualifying.

"If was fun, just pushing very hard at the end," Verstappen said. "The two McLarens were pushing very hard. We didn’t give up improving the car and today it was in its best form."

"Of course, starting on the pole — that's what make it possible to win this race."

Winning in Japan again with Red Bull and engine supplier Honda was important for Verstappen.

"It means a lot to me. It was in the back of my mind those last few laps, I was like ‘Wow, I need to try and stay ahead. It would be a great story, you know, our final like kind of farewell race together with Honda here in Japan.’

"I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved, of course, over all those years together, and I think it’s just like a perfect send off."

Sunday's start was clean with Verstappen taking the lead with the top starters on the grid falling into line behind him. Verstappen slowly stretched his lead and was two seconds ahead of Norris after 10 of 53 laps and kept the same advantage after 15.

Most of the leaders pitted around the 20-lap mark. Verstappen and Norris exited the pits at almost exactly the same time with Norris driving over the grass, unable to get by Verstappen.

"He drove himself into the grass," Verstappen said on the radio.

Stewards said almost immediately the incident did not merit further investigation.

Antonelli led briefly in the middle of the race. At 18 he is the youngest to ever lead in F1 race.

Verstappen was back in the lead after 32 laps, only 1.3 seconds ahead of Norris and 3.4 up on Piastri. On the 36th lap the radio told him: "Push from here."

He did just that, pushing all the way to his 64th career win.