The announcement comes just a day after Rybakina suffered a surprise second-round defeat at the China Open in Beijing, losing in three sets to world No. 118 Alina Charaeva.
Rybakina, who had been scheduled to continue her Asian swing at the Wuhan Open, is now expected to turn her attention to the Ningbo 500, where she is the defending champion. She reached the quarterfinals in Wuhan last year.
In an Instagram story, Rybakina apologized to supporters who had been expecting to see her compete and said she would step away from competition to focus on her recovery.
“I'm very sorry to the fans who were looking forward to seeing me play,” Rybakina said in the Instagram story. “I'll take some time to rest and recover. Thank you for your understanding and continued support. See you next year.”
The withdrawal adds to concerns surrounding a lower-leg and foot problem that has troubled Rybakina in recent months.
The injury previously forced her to retire during her Cincinnati quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek. Despite the setback, she recovered in time to compete at the US Open, where she produced a landmark run.
Rybakina captured her third Grand Slam title in New York, while also rising to the top of the WTA rankings. Her US Open success made her the first singles player to qualify for the WTA Finals in Indian Wells.
Her decision to skip Wuhan now gives the 26-year-old an opportunity to manage her fitness during a crucial stage of the season, with the WTA Finals approaching.
Growing list of withdrawals
Rybakina is not the only prominent player missing from the Wuhan field.
She joins Amanda Anisimova, Madison Keys, Emma Navarro and Karolina Pliskova among the players who have withdrawn before the tournament begins.
The Wuhan Open is scheduled to take place from October 12 to 18 and will serve as the final WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz 1000 event of the season.
For Rybakina, the immediate priority is recovery. After a demanding stretch that included a Grand Slam triumph, a rise to world No. 1 and another unexpected defeat in Beijing, the Kazakh star will now hope that time away from competition allows her to return at full strength for the final phase of the season.