Iga Swiatek, Elena Rybakina Lead Unprecedented Exodus of 13 WTA Stars from Beijing Event

The Beijing Open 2024 has seen an unprecedented exodus of stars, particularly in the women’s side of the draw. Top stars like Iga Swiatek and Elena Rybakina have pulled out. Besides, 11 other past and present top-10 players, have also withdrawn.

However, the men’s side of the draw has multiple big names such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev to entertain fans. The tournament is expected to take a massive hit on viewership due to the long list of withdrawals.

The three-month period after the conclusion of the final Grand Slam of the year — the US Open — often witnesses a massive drop in viewership. This is because other tournaments do not quite generate the excitement of a Grand Slam, and also because many players use this time for rest and recovery. Unfortunately, the same continues to be the narrative for the 2024 WTA season.

Of the 13 drop-outs, as many as a dozen were potential seeds. Defending champion Swiatek used “personal reason” for her decision. Meanwhile, players such as Rybakina, Danielle Collins, Maria Sakkari, Emma Raducanu, Ons Jabeur, and others are dealing with injuries.

Meanwhile, Victoria Azarenka, Carolina Garcia, and Marie Bouzkova did not even mention a reason for their withdrawal.

Reacting to it, some tennis enthusiasts claimed that players were affected by “end-of-the-year exhaustion.”

A majority of fans were simply in shock, stating that they’d never seen such a long list of withdrawals ever before.

The draw still has some big and exciting players capable of producing an entertaining week of tennis.

The likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Jasmine Paolini, Emma Navarro, and Qinwen Zheng will be the frontrunners to win the title.

As the tournament kicks off on 26th September, it’ll be interesting to see which player could end up being a first-time champ in China.