Elena Rybakina faces a race to be sufficiently fit and healthy for her Wimbledon title defence after withdrawing from the Eastbourne International hours before she was due to contest her first-round match.
Since withdrawing from her third-round match at the French Open with a virus this month, Rybakina has been rushing to return to full fitness.
The 24-year-old explained in her pre-tournament press conference in Eastbourne on Sunday that her virus had worsened after her withdrawal from Roland Garros and she spent a couple of days in bed before leaving Paris.
Despite her attempts to return to the court, Rybakina has continued to struggle with the lingering effects of the virus and last week lost in the second round of the WTA 500 event in Berlin. “I am still recovering from the virus I had in Paris and after Roland Garros it was really tough.