From Sabalenka to Swiatek to Rybakina: Staggering 24 players in total withdraw or retire at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships has seen many top names come to the fore including Amanda Anisimova, Mirra Andreeva and Coco Gauff but either a show of strength and depth or more concern, a staggering 24 players in total have withdrawn from the event or retired.

Elena Rybakina was the most recent example with the World No.2 in waiting seemingly playing too much too soon after her Australian Open triumph. Unlike Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek who have either played in Doha or not at all since Melbourne, Rybakina has continued on.

Albeit she won't play next week and cited illness as being the reason behind her withdrawal as she lost retired a set down to Antonia Ruzic who earlier in the week beat Emma Raducanu.

Naomi Osaka, Madison Keys, Lois Boisson among others had already decided against playing anyway for a myriad of reasons. Boisson and Osaka in particular haven't played for some time due to injury, while Keys has seemingly taken the same tact as last year when she decided not to play the whole of the Middle Eastern swing after she won the Australian Open.

Others to pull out due to injury or other reasons included Eva Lys, Marta Kostyuk, Karolina Pliskova and Veronika Kudermetova. Victoria Mboko hot on the heels of her great run in Doha and also Karolina Muchova decided to withdraw. The withdrawal is due to a right-elbow injury on the side of Mboko while Muchova simply cited fatigue after her title winning run.

While others it was during the tournament including Maria Sakkari, Zheng Qinwen, Daria Kasatkina as well as Abu Dhabi champion Sara Bejlek who has made a superb splash in recent weeks but had to withdraw from her tie with Belinda Bencic who got a free pass through.

Paula Badosa and Elena Rybakina perhaps are the two biggest latest ones. Badosa continues to be dogged by injury problems having a back injury that can't realistically be healed as such now.

But Rybakina cited illness against Ruzic in her case. Albeit it gives a modicum of multiple different viewpoints with players seemingly feigning injuries on some sides not to play as much which brings the schedule problems being there, some fear they will get fined or docked points later in the season as a result.

While some see the issue that with Indian Wells, Miami and the impending clay court swing in Europe upcoming that it is perhaps necessary action to gain the necessary time off court to recover.

Others such as Boisson, Lys and Osaka are major issues as while Lys will play next week, Boisson and Osaka have shown no signs of return and could be ones to watch in regards to tumbling down the rankings in short order.