"What's going on with her, I think it's a lot more than we realise": Elena Rybakina situation leaves Rennae Stubbs puzzled

Elena Rybakina has withdrawn from eight tournaments this year and that list has been added to with the US Open. Her match against Jessika Ponchet was shunted off the schedule before it was confirmed that she wouldn't be continuing.

She said it was an undisclosed injury in a statement released by the USTA but Rennae Stubbs, former coach of Serena Williams was left puzzled and speculated whether there is more at play.

She said that there is definitely something that is not in the public domain which is forcing her out of a lot of tournaments with illness being a constant problem for the former Wimbledon champion.

Fans of the Kazakh have been left frustrated time and again that when it seems like she is getting on a roll, there is the stumbling block of an illness right around the corner. She has also had the split with Stefano Vukov this past week which has meant that her tennis career has been sent into freefall whilst dealing with these other issues too.

“There’s something obviously going on here. I don’t want to speculate. But this is a very unusual situation. 8 withdrawals this year… undisclosed injury now at US Open. I just think there’s something more going on here," said Stubbs on ESPN.

"This is not a normal situation. I’ve seen her over the last couple of days. She hasn’t looked great. I’ve seen her for years on the tour. I know what she looks like when she’s happy, when she’s healthy, when she’s playing well. When she’s playing well, on this surface, she’s one of if not the best player in the world. So what’s going on with her, I think it’s a lot more than we realize. This is terrible. It’s sad. She’s such a nice person. She’s so nice to be around all the time. We wish her well and hope she can find whatever she needs to.”