![\"INDIAN](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/AFP__20261105__2303732074__v1__HighRes__FageWtaFinalsIndianWells2026Previews-1794126921.jpg\")
Rybakina undertook a few practice sessions before the WTA Finals, but pulled out of the tournament due to a viral illness [Mathew Stockman\/AFP]\u2018Amazing field\u2019 despite Rybakina absence<\/p>\n
Rybakina\u2019s absence deprives the event of some star power, but Muguruza said the round-robin format and depth of the field would ensure a high-quality tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have the best players,\u201d said Muguruza, who triumphed at the WTA Finals in Guadalajara in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know our world number one is not going to be able to play, but we have an amazing field, the very best,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery match could be a Grand Slam final. You really need to be ready. You cannot give one inch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kostyuk, who is making her WTA Finals debut after a breakthrough season that included the Madrid title and a rise into the top 10, was already in Indian Wells as an alternate and practising when Rybakina withdrew.<\/p>\n
Muguruza said the Ukrainian, known for her signature post-match backflip celebrations, had earned her opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarta is great. She\u2019s had a breakthrough year,\u201d Muguruza said. \u201cWith this year, we have many first-time players in the Finals, and that\u2019s very exciting. It\u2019s very hard to qualify.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kostyuk has been outspoken about Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine and does not shake hands with Russian or Belarusian opponents. Muguruza said the tournament would support players in making their own decisions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re free to do whatever they feel,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are open and supporting them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opportunity for Sabalenka<\/p>\n
Rybakina\u2019s withdrawal could create an opening for world number two Aryna Sabalenka to make inroads in the rankings.<\/p>\n
Sabalenka, who won the Indian Wells title earlier this year, has the chance to reduce the gap at the top of the rankings, according to Muguruza, who highlighted Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva as a player comfortable in the California desert.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, Aryna might be thinking that this can be a good opportunity,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The WTA moved the finals to Indian Wells from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Muguruza saying player safety had been the decisive consideration amid conflict in the Middle East region.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt clearly felt no longer safe to be in a region where there is conflict,\u201d she said. \u201cTaking care of the players and looking ahead to what could be safe, comfortable and secure, relocating felt the best decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Muguruza said players had responded positively to the switch to Indian Wells, where she competed regularly during her career.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we knew that Indian Wells could be the next venue, it was just a joy,\u201d she said, adding that ticket sales have been strong. \u201cThe whole thing is just perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Rybakina pulled out on the eve of the Indian Wells tournament, with Ukraine\u2019s Marta Kostyuk replacing the top…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":910350,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[3995,1076,97,49161,963,1079,99,428,1208,21,1209,1764],"class_list":["post-910349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-asia","tag-europe","tag-health","tag-kazakhstan","tag-russia-ukraine-war","tag-sport","tag-sports","tag-tennis","tag-ukraine","tag-united-states","tag-us-canada","tag-women"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/910349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=910349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/910349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/910350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=910349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=910349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=910349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}