Iga Swiatek succumbed to a lingering thigh injury, with her Tuesday withdrawal killing her chances of playing in the WTA Finals.

The six-time Grand Slam winner and former world No. 1 has qualified into the eight-player year-ender uninterruptedly since 2020. Her last-gasp lifeline might be an alternate’s position in Indian Wells next month.

“After careful consideration, I’ve decided to withdraw from the (Ningbo) tournament,” Swiatek said in a statement.

“I’ve been experiencing an ongoing problem with my left thigh over the past weeks and I feel giving myself the time to rest and recover is the right decision.”

The ninth-ranked Pole reached the Wuhan semi-finals last week, losing to compatriot and Roland Garros finalist Maja Chwalinska.

Seven of the eight IW Finals spots have been decided, with Swiatek lagging on ninth place and Wimbledon runner-up Karolina Muchova, Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk and Swiatek all in the points race to fill out the final spot in the field.

Elina Svitolina has blamed the stress of the war shaking her country of Ukraine as part of the reason she is divorcing fellow player Gael Monfils.

The end of the fairytale tennis marriage was announced in a Monday statement from the WTA No. 6.

The shock revelation goes some way to explaining the 40-year-old Monfils’s surprise move last week in retiring from tennis immediately instead of waiting for a home goodbye at the Paris Masters next month.

The Swiss-based couple married in a 2021 fairytale wedding and have a daughter, Skai, born a year later.

Monfils is due to start an off-court career in banking while Svitolina has qualified for the WTA Finals in November at Indian Wells, California.

Svitolina, 32, said the five-year Russian invasion of Ukraine is weighing heavily on her heart and affecting her emotional stability; the former Wimbledon semi-finalist has in the past taken a break from tennis to try and regain equilibrium.

.”Everyone knows how much Ukraine means to me. What I have rarely spoken about is what the war has done to me inside. Last year, I told you I needed to step away from the court because I wasn’t in the right emotional space,” Svitolina said in a statement.
“Today, I want to open up a little more. What you didn’t see were the sleepless nights, the doubts, and the feeling of slowly losing myself. Gaël saw all of it. He never let go of my hand. 

“We fought through this together for a long time, with everything we had. But some battles happen deep inside you, and no amount of love from someone else can win them for you.”
She added: 

“With time, I came to understand that I need to find my way back to myself and that I cannot do that within our marriage. 

“It is the hardest truth I have ever had to face and the hardest thing I have ever had to tell the person I love. Gaël listened. He has respected what I need with a strength and grace I will never forget.

“Gael has loved me through my greatest joys and my darkest moments, and I have loved him with all my heart. Together, we built a beautiful life, and we were given the most precious gift of all, our daughter, Skai. 

“Skai will always come first. Our marriage is ending, but our family is not. We will always be her parents, side by side, at every step of her life.

“Please know that there is no one to blame here. There are only two people who loved each other deeply and a story that is changing shape. 

“We ask for your kindness and for the space we need to heal. Thank you for your love”

Main photo:- Elena Svitolina and Gael Monfils announced their engagement on Instagram in April 2012

The WTA Finals will pitch a tent in North Carolina in late 2027 as the roving wrapup to the season settles in for a three-year-run in Charlotte.

The WTA revealed the venue on Wednesday, with the southern US due to stage three editions.

The event highlighting the top eight points finishers in singles and doubles for the season has had something of a “homeless” problem since the Covid  pandemic in 2020 when it was scrapped for that season after fulfilling only the first year of a multi-edition contract in Shenzhen, China..

This season’s conclusion will be staged at Indian Wells, the Californian venue for an ATP-WTA Masters 1000 played each March.

Fears are growing that the desert chill of a November night may mean unsuitably cold temperatures which could affect play.

The finals have been staged at five eclectic venues in the six editions since 2021:  Guadalajara, Mexico, Fort Worth, Texas, Cancun, Mexico and Riyadh, Saudi (twice).

The upcoming Indian Wells edition is just another place-holder for a Tour which is reportedly running low on corporate cash but struggles on.

The event will be played at the home of the NBAs Charlotte Hornets, from 2027-2029.

“The multi-year partnership will give the WTA greater opportunity to shape the experience and identity of one of its most important assets, deepen relationships with fans and commercial partners, and build a championship platform designed to grow alongside women’s sport,” a PR release read.

“The WTA Finals represents everything that makes women’s tennis extraordinary: the world’s best athletes, competing at the highest level, on a stage worthy of what they have accomplished,” said WTA chairwoman Valerie Camillo.

“We have an opportunity now to lead by building a championship experience that reflects just how far women’s sport has come and where it is going next.”

“We want to create the Super Bowl for women’s sports. And not just the competition, but an event that is the annual gathering for women’s tennis, women’s sports, and women’s sport business.”

Main photo: WTA Tour Finals were previously played at Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China