Coco Gauff had a China Open campaign to forget after she was dumped out at the round of 16 stage by Elise Mertens.
The American complained of health issues during her match against Mertens, as she was comprehensively beaten by the Belgian in straight sets.
The star also endured abhorrent racial abuse online following a controversial moment in Beijing in her previous match against teenager Sun Xinran.
It should be no surprise, then, that Gauff has now confirmed that she will not be playing the final Masters tournament on the WTA Tour calendar at the Wuhan Open.
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In a statement shared by the tournament, Gauff said: “I’m disappointed to withdraw from Wuhan, especially as the defending champion. I always love playing there.
“After a long year, my body needs some time to rest and recover. I look forward to returning next year.”
As a result of her withdrawal, Gauff will lose 1000 ranking points, although that is not such a huge problem for the star as she is already qualified for the WTA Finals at the end of the year.
In fact, it could end up being a silver lining for Gauff as she looks to win the WTA Finals for just the second time in her career.
The tournament will be taking place on home soil this year, at Indian Wells, so Gauff will have extra motivation to win the tournament many consider to be an unofficial fifth Grand Slam.
Having ended her Asian swing early, Gauff will now have more time than her rivals to get deal with the jetlag, as well as time to rest and recover.
She will also presumably have time to work back in the United States with her coaches, which could give her the edge when it comes to the WTA Finals.
Gauff could have just placed herself as the favourite at the tournament in a year where no one has really stood out as the best player across the calendar year.
Aryna Sabalenka failed to win a Grand Slam in 2026, while Elena Rybakina, who claimed two, has failed to set the world alight outside of the majors.
Gauff, meanwhile, has only claimed one WTA Tour title in 2026, at the Cincinnati Open, but she now has a real shot of winning another event on home soil.
The WTA Finals are set to take place between the 8th and 15th November and so far Sabalenka, Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Mirra Andreeva, and Gauff have confirmed their status in the tournament.
There are just three places left, with the likes of Elina Svitolina, Iga Swiatek, Marta Kostyuk, Iva Jovic, and Elise Mertens vying to qualify.
