Elena Rybakina won't play opening Billie Jean King Cup Finals tie for Kazakhstan after tight WTA Finals turnaround

Thursday, 09 November 2023 at 23:34

rybakinarain copyright proshots 23003035

Elena Rybakina won't play the opening tie for Kazakhstan as Billie Jean King Cup Finals selections have been confirmed ahead of their opener against Australia in Seville.

Rybakina who was pictured in Seville on her Instagram and in other social media with the team only arrived days ago after being involved in the WTA Finals and likely isn't ready to play again after the tight turnaround.

Tomljanovic also out for Australia

Instead, Yulia Putintseva who is the other top Kazakh player on the team will anchor their charge albeit against a nation with their best player on paper also missing in the form of Ajla Tomljanovic.

Tomljanovic has suffered with a knee injury which saw her out of most of 2023 and she only returned at the US Open and then Guadalajara in recent months likely plotting a more extended tour return going into 2024 with the Australian Open. But again will not play this time around.

As a result, Storm Hunter, Kimberly Birrell and Ellen Perez with Hunter who like Rybakina played in Cancun in the doubles and also lamented the conditions will be involved against Kazakhstan. It is likely feasible that both will play going forward this tournament and especially in Rybakina's case, this was always likely going to be the case.

Read also

José Morgado

@josemorgado

·Follow

No Rybakina or Tomljanovic…

World Tennis Media Information

@worldtennispr

Player selections for 🇦🇺 Australia v Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 🇦🇺 Storm Hunter v Anna Danilina 🇰🇿 (first meeting) 🇦🇺 Kimberly Birrell v Yulia Putintseva 🇰🇿 (first Tour-level meeting) 🇦🇺 Hunter/Perez v Danilina/Kulambayeva 🇰🇿

8:33 AM · Nov 9, 2023

Read 5 replies

Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief

Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.

Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.

See author's posts

claps 0visitors 0

"The body is really broken down": John Millman set to call time on career after 2024 Australian Open

"We feel like we’re beating our heads against the wall": Iga Swiatek's damning verdict on organisation and scheduling of WTA Tour