World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka has withdrawn from the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, scheduled for April 13 to 19. She cited an injury suffered after her Miami Open victory over Coco Gauff. In an Instagram post, Sabalenka expressed disappointment at missing the WTA 500 event.
Aryna Sabalenka announced her withdrawal on Instagram, stating, “I’m very sad to say that I won’t be able to play the Porsche tennis Grand Prix this year. I always love coming back to Stuttgart. The atmosphere, the fans, and the support I feel there are so special to me. And of course, I was really hoping to have another chance to fight for that Porsche.” She explained that she picked up the injury after defeating Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the Miami final and could not recover in time despite her efforts. “Unfortunately, I suffered an injury after Miami, and even though I tried everything to recover in time, I’m not ready to compete,” she added. “I’m really sorry to miss this amazing tournament. Wishing everyone a great weekend out, and I hope to see you all again very soon. Love, Aryna.” Sabalenka has a strong history at the Stuttgart event, reaching the final three times in the past five years but never winning. She lost to Ashleigh Barty in 2021, Iga Swiatek in 2022, and Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-1 in 2023. The Belarusian is delaying the start of her clay-court season following her Sunshine Double success. Despite the withdrawal, Sabalenka holds firm at No. 1 with 11,025 ranking points, over 2,900 ahead of Elena Rybakina's 8,108. She recently surpassed Chris Evert's record of 76 consecutive weeks at No. 1, achieving her 77th such week and ranking 11th all-time. Even if Rybakina wins in Stuttgart, the gap would remain substantial.
