Marta Kostyuk‘s season has taken a drastic turn in the last few weeks. She missed out on two months of action after suffering a torn ligament in her left ankle during her first-round defeat at the Australian Open against Elsa Jacquemot. She eventually returned before the Sunshine Double but faced early exits in both tournaments. However, the Ukrainian would get her season back on track by triumphing at the Rouen and Madrid Open. After this, Kostyuk was supposed to put in a solid performance at the Rome Masters, but she has now encountered an unexpected setback.

Kostyuk has withdrawn from the competition at the last minute because of a right hip injury. She informed everyone about her condition and decision on social media.

“After the best stretch of my career, I was looking forward to Rome. But sometimes your body has other plans, and over the past few days I’ve been dealing with a hip issue. With my ankle still not fully at 100%, it’s just not smart to keep pushing right now, so I won’t be competing there this year,” Kostyuk wrote on an Instagram post.

The 23-year-old further expressed her love for Rome and regret for missing the tournament. She will now look to recover in time for the French Open, which starts on May 24.

“That’s what makes it even harder, because it’s such a special place for me. The fans, the atmosphere, and yes… the food. I’ve had some amazing moments here, and I always love coming back. I’m sad to miss it, but I’ll see you next year. Now it’s time to recover and get ready for Paris,” the post concluded.

Jaqueline Cristian, who will enter the competition as the 33rd seed, has taken Kostyuk’s position in the draw. Her opponent, Beatriz Haddad Maia, will now face either a qualifier or a lucky loser in the first round.

This is indeed a massive setback for Kostyuk. She was coming off arguably the biggest win of her career against Mirra Andreeva in the final of the Madrid Open, but will now be on the sidelines at least until the French Open.

With an 11-match winning streak, Kostyuk will aim to make a deep run at Roland Garros. Notably, her straight-set loss to qualifier Sara Bejlek resulted in a first-round exit at the Grand Slam last year.

While fans will miss seeing Kostyuk in action on the clay courts of Rome, she won’t be the only notable absentee from the tournament. Multiple other headline stars have pulled out as well.

Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, and more withdraw from the Italian Open

World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz is the most notable absentee from the tournament. He has withdrawn because of a wrist injury that he had suffered during his first-round clash against Otto Virtanen at the Barcelona Open. The Spaniard won’t be in action at the French Open either and is now aiming to return before Wimbledon.

Taylor Fritz has pulled out of the Rome Masters due to recurring knee issues. He has been out of action since losing to Jiri Lehecka in the R16 of the Indian Wells Open. Let’s see if he can make his much-awaited comeback at Roland Garros.

Jack Draper will miss the Italian Open and the French Open because of a knee injury. With his clay-court season coming to an abrupt end, the Brit will look to make a strong return at the grass swing.

Holger Rune is still recovering from the ACL injury he suffered at the Stockholm Open last year; he won’t be there either. World No. 43 Sebastian Korda has also pulled out of the tournament because of physical issues.

Kostyuk and Marketa Vondrousova are the two major withdrawals when considering women’s tennis players. The latter hasn’t played since January because of a shoulder injury. However, she is also facing a doping charge, with the ITIA recently pressing charges against her. Although the charge doesn’t come with an automatic suspension, an investigation is underway against Vondrousova.

Despite several notable players pulling out of the Rome Masters, a majority of the top seeds will be in action in the Italian capital. Who do you think will reign supreme on the clay courts of Rome? Let us know your predictions in the comments!