Elena Rybakina withdraws from Eastbourne due to viral illness ahead of Wimbledon title defence

Elena Rybakina’s Wimbledon preparations have suffered a setback after she withdrew from the Eastbourne International due to a viral illness.

The defending Wimbledon champion was the top seed at the tournament and was due to play Wang Xiyu on Monday.

However, she will not feature and will instead focus on recovering ahead of Wimbledon, which starts on July 3.

She said in Eastbourne that she was still not 100 per cent physically due to the effects of the virus.

“At the French Open after I withdrew I went back to the hotel and it was even worse so I had to stay in Paris for a few days not leaving the room,” she said.

“I started my preparation week after just slowly starting and it was tough since it was a virus.

“So I still think that I’m not 100 per cent physically where I want to be but slowly it’s getting better and hopefully I can get some more matches here and feel more comfortable at Wimbledon.”

Rybakina lost in the second round in Berlin last week to Donna Vekic.

She lifted her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon a year ago and made the Australian Open final earlier this year, losing to Aryna Sabalenka.

Barbora Krejcikova is now the top seed in Eastbourne, while lucky loser Petra Martic replaces Rybakina and faces Katie Boulter on Tuesday.

Boulter will be the top-ranked British player at Wimbledon after winning in Nottingham this month.

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