Elena Rybakina has endured a mixed stretch in 2026, with her momentous wins at the Australian Open and the Stuttgart Open offset by shocking defeats on grass in London and Berlin. The Bad Homburg Open was meant to be her last tune-up before Wimbledon, but a disappointing announcement has ruined those plans.

“Unfortunately, I have to withdraw from Bad Homburg due to some discomfort in my right hip. I need to consult with my medical team and undergo further assessment before making any decisions about the next steps,” she announced on Friday.

The timing is brutal: Wimbledon starts in 10 days, giving the World No. 2 little time to assess, diagnose, and determine if her body is ready for a Grand Slam season. The hip had not been publicly flagged as a concern before this week, suggesting this is either a new issue that emerged during the grass-court preparation period or something that has been managed quietly and now crossed a threshold requiring attention. The mention of “further assessment” suggests that she and her team do not have the complete picture, meaning an appearance at the All England Club isn’t ruled out.

The Bad Homburg withdrawal will make Rybakina’s grass-court swing even more complicated. After consecutive wins on a split day marred by rain, the top seed was beaten in the Queen’s Club quarter-finals by Katie Boulter. She then deactivated her Instagram account in the hours following the loss, widely seen as a reaction to online abuse from angry punters. She also endured a shocking exit from the Berlin Open at the hands of wildcard Alexandra Eala. As things stand, a resurgence remains unlikely due to the hip problem. 

Defending 130 points, a Wimbledon withdrawal or injury would crater her ranking positions. And with World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka also struggling with form after the Roland Garros defeat, the top-four ranking dynamic could change drastically over the next week or two based on Rybakina’s next steps. 

Rybakina’s grass-court record makes the uncertainty all the more painful. On grass, she is 34-13; her 72% win rate indicates that the surface is a natural fit for her style of play. She won Wimbledon in 2022, reached the quarterfinals in 2023, and the third round in 2025, and was widely considered among the top three favorites to go deep again this year. Her serve is one of the most potent on the women’s tour and even more effective on a surface where the ball keeps low and doesn’t bounce as much, allowing her to settle points in less time than on a hard court. Whether she’s ready to use those weapons at the All England Club in under a fortnight is still very much up in the air. 

A pattern of physical setbacks that has plagued Rybakina’s career

This is not the first time Rybakina has had to navigate uncertainty during major events. She withdrew from the Italian Open hours before her title defence in 2024, due to an undisclosed illness. In 2023, Rybakina pulled out of the French Open due to a viral illness, before which she suffered a lower back injury at the Stuttgart Open. Earlier this year, she retired from the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, citing exhaustion and a taxing schedule.

She has excelled in her career, but her performance required careful management. Her coach, Stefano Vukov, was suspended by the WTA for alleged undisclosed conduct issues. And while the two were reunited last year after Vukov’s successful appeal, such instabilities can be relevant factors.

The medical assessment in the coming days will determine whether Wimbledon is viable, and Rybakina’s team has given no indication either way. The tournament organizers at Bad Homburg will have already begun working through their alternate list. For Rybakina, this is more urgent than any draw or seeding issue. The hip needs to be cleared. That is the first step, and with Wimbledon a little over a week away, the clock is already ticking.