"I didn't sleep well the last two nights, I had fever and headaches," Rybakina said in the wake of the announcement of his package, at a press conference. "It's hard to perform, run and even breathe, so it was the only decision I could make."
Winner of the WTA 1000 of Rome on clay last month and finalist of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam lift of the year, the 23-year-old player was among the contenders for the final victory Porte d'Auteuil.
"Today I tried to warm up, but I think the right decision is to retire because it's very hard to play in these conditions," she added.
The slender (1.84 m) player had won without a hitch her first two matches on the Parisian ochre, against the Czechs Brenda Fruhvirtova 6-4, 6-2 and Linda Noskova 6-3, 6-3.
But Rybakina began to feel symptoms "after (s)on the second match".
"I'm very disappointed not to be able to play," she said. "That's life, there are ups and downs. Today I wanted to be 100% but obviously I'm far from it. I'm out of luck. Now I have to recover and do my best to be ready for the grass season."
The Kazakh, born in Moscow, is the holder of the Wimbledon title, which will be held this year from July 3 to 16. His victory last year had disturbed the organizers, in an edition where Russian and Belarusian players had been ostracized.
Her forfeit automatically qualifies Spain's Sara Sorribes (132nd) for the knockout rounds, where she will meet the winner of the match between Russia's Ekaterina Alexandrova (23rd) and Brazil's Beatriz Haddad Maia (14th).
© 2023 AFP