Elena Rybakina says her own expectations were the most challenging thing to navigate through after winning Wimbledon and not really the expectations from others.
In the summer of 2022, Rybakina stunningly went all the way at The Championships as a mid-20 player. En route to the final, the Kazakh beat two Grand Slam champions – Bianca Andreescu and Simona Halep – and she also defeated former Slam semifinalist CoCo Vandeweghe. Then in the final, she came back from a set down to beat Ons Jabeur, who was also playing in her first Major final.
With that run, Rybakina put herself on the map big time and she automatically went from a solid Tour player to being regarded as one of the best in the game.
“Well, I think the most difficult thing is that you expect a lot from yourself. It’s not really the expectations of other people. Then, when something doesn’t go your way, you get upset. This is where it’s important who you surround yourself with,” the current world No. 10 said on Caroline Garcia’s Tennis Insider Club while speaking alongside other guests Jasmine Paolini and Maria Sakkari.
Rybakina: You need support… We lose more than we win
After admitting that handling her expectations was the trickiest part, the 25-year-old also highlighted that having a strong team but also the support of family and friends was very important to her.
“You never know when the result comes. You might feel great and amazing on the court, but then one day you wake up and get sick. What can you do? Nothing. You just need to keep on going again. That’s how I see it,” Rybakina added.
Since winning Wimbledon, the Kazakh ended as runner-up at the 2023 Australian Open – won her first two WTA 1000 titles – and achieved a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world.
Rybakina has established herself as a top player and no one is calling her a one-Slam wonder. But the big issue for her in the last couple of years has been her health since she has often battled physical or health issues such as illnesses.
