That is a record number for elite WTA and ATP events, excluding Grand Slams. The previous record belonged to the Shanghai Masters 2009 and Madrid 2025, both with nine retirements or walkovers.
If we also count withdrawals from qualifying, the number of retirements in Dubai rises to 24 (55% of the original draw).
On Tuesday, Spain’s Paula Badosa and Germany’s Ella Seidel were forced to retire from their matches in Dubai.
Badosa left the court after losing the first set to Elina Svitolina by 6-4. The Spaniard may have felt a recurrence of a back issue.
Seidel, meanwhile, withdrew from her match against Romanian Jaqueline Cristian after not feeling well, and after suffering a bagel in the first set.
Czech player Sara Bejlek and Australia’s Daria Kasatkina also withdrew from their second-round matches shortly before taking the court, both due to injury.
Major withdrawals
The tournament was already missing key players before the draw, as world number one Aryna Sabalenka and number two Iga Swiatek announced their withdrawals.
The situation worsened after the WTA 1000 final in Doha over the weekend, when champion Karolina Muchova and runner-up Victoria Mboko pulled out of the trip to the United Arab Emirates.
Soon after, Maria Sakkari and Zheng Qinwen also announced they would not play in Dubai due to illness.
The growing list of withdrawals led the tournament director to call for stricter penalties for players.
All withdrawals from Dubai (before the round of 16):
Aryna Sabalenka (Right hip injury)
Iga Swiatek (Schedule change)
Karolina Muchova (Schedule change)
Victoria Mboko (Right elbow injury)
Daria Kasatkina (Right hip injury)
Barbora Krejcikova (Left thigh injury)
Maria Sakkari (Illness)
Zheng Qinwen (Illness)
Paula Badosa (Undisclosed injury) – walkover
Elisabetta Cocciaretto (Left thigh injury)
Sara Bejlek (Abdominal injury)
Hailey Baptiste (Abdominal injury) – walkover
Ella Seidel (Illness) – walkover