"Iga Swiatek withdrawing from 3 tournaments in a row like her name is Elena Rybakina" - Fans react to Pole pulling out of Wuhan Open

Iga Swiatek withdrew from her third consecutive tournament, the Wuhan Open, following her recent split with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski. Fans have expressed a mix of concern and understanding, acknowledging her decision to prioritize her mental and physical well-being.

Swiatek took to social media to announce her split with coach Wiktorowski, expressing gratitude for their three successful seasons together and the titles they won.

In a heartfelt message, the World No. 1 mentioned that she would take some time to find a new coach. At the time, her participation in the Wuhan Open remained uncertain.

However, just hours later, it was confirmed that the 23-year-old Swiatek had withdrawn from the WTA 1000 event, marking her third consecutive withdrawal after pulling out of the Korea Open and China Open since the US Open.

“After an important change in my sports team, I decided to withdraw from the tournament in Wuhan. I’m really sorry for fans in China and those who wait to see me play, but I hope you understand that I need some time,” the statement read.

Fans on X expressed disappointment over yet another withdrawal but were supportive of her need to take a break. One fan compared her to Elena Rybakina, as the Kazakh has also faced multiple issues this season, leading to withdrawals from many events. They wrote:

"Not iga withdrawing from 3 tournaments in a row like her name is Elena Rybakina."

"I guess that's what she would have meant by *personal matters* when she withdrew from Beijing," one fan wrote.

"After everything we’ve found out today playing wuhan would be the most unexpected and confusing decision. sad to wait longer for her return but glad she’s taking her time 🫂," another fan wrote.

Here are some more fan reactions to Swiatek withdrawing from the Wuhan Open.

"Iga Swiatek withdrawing from Wuhan will definitely put year end no. 1 in jeopardy but it also signals a real commitment to her game development even at the expense of rankings and accolades, which I love to see," one fan wrote.

"Let's hope everything gets fixed as soon as possible and she comes back on the court and performs well," another fan wrote.

"❤️‍🩹we understand it🥰 I hope she will play WTA finals🙏," yet another fan wrote.

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Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka to battle it out to end 2024 as World No. 1

Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Iga Swiatek at the Cincinnati Open 2024 (Image from Getty)

The current WTA rankings show Iga Swiatek at the top with 10,885 points, followed by Aryna Sabalenka with 8,716 points. Due to her withdrawal from the Beijing Open, where she was the defending champion, Swiatek will lose 1,000 points in the upcoming official rankings.

Sabalenka, who also exited the quarterfinals this year, as she did in 2023, will maintain her points total. Although she won Wuhan in 2019, there will be no deduction of points as the event returns this year after a five-year hiatus. As such, the year-end World No. 1 title at the WTA Finals could be a tight contest.