E rybakina

E lena Rybakina has not been to Kazakhstan since April and the next time she will wear her country’s colours on her back will be in the Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow in November. Though she still lives in Moscow, having switched her allegiance from Russia in 2018, her history-making victory in the Wimbledon final on Saturday will surely make her a household name in her adopted country. Moreover, Being the centre of attention is not necessarily something with which Rybakina is comfortable. Her non-celebration, unless you count blowing out her cheeks, at the end of the final was absolutely on point for the 23‑year‑old, who would happily just merge into the background if she could. The extra media attention after winning her first grand slam title is something she will have to get used to and how she deals with it could go a long way to deciding how she performs in the coming months as she comes to terms with her achievement and what it means for her, and for Kazakhstan. Read more “Well for now I can say that I’m not enjoying [the attention] that much,” she said, a few hours after her triumph. “But maybe one day I’m going to be more relaxed because there is so much more attention now, but I just didn’t expect it.” There is a bit of Petra Kvitova about Rybakina. Not just in stature; at 6ft, she is one of the taller players on the Tour, but Rybakina is also the youngest women’s champion at “Everybody is trying to help me because it’s the first time and there is so much attent...

Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina reacts after winning against Brenda Fruhvirtova of the Czech Republic during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Jean-Francois Badias/AP PARIS (AP) — Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina pulled out of the French Open before her third-round match on Saturday because she is sick. “I just wanted to give 100%, and obviously I’m far from being 100%,” Rybakina said. “If I cannot breathe, there is no chance I can even run and try to compete.” The No. 4-seeded Rybakina was supposed to face 132nd-ranked Sara Sorribes Tormo in the day's opening contest on Court Philippe Chatrier. They were scheduled to begin playing at 11:45 a.m. local time, but instead, at that very moment, Rybakina sat down behind the microphone at a news conference to explain why she was withdrawing from the year's second Grand Slam tournament. Sounding stuffed up, Rybakina explained that she has been running a fever, didn't sleep well the past two nights and had difficulty breathing during a warmup session Saturday ahead of her match. She said a doctor told her there is a virus going around “here in Paris.” Rybakina, who won each of her first two matches this week in straight sets, was considered among the top contenders for the championship at Roland Garros. She has won her past 10 matches, including a tuneup title on red clay at the Italian Open last month. She plays a power-built game based...

Il viaggio entusiasmante di Elisabetta Cocciaretto al Roland Garros si chiude alle porte della seconda settimana. La tennista azzurra è stata sconfitta da Bernarda Pera (numero 36 Wta) per 6-4 7-6, penalizzata da qualche fastidio fisico e da una giornata nera al servizio. Il suo comunque resta un grande percorso, che l’ha portata per la prima volta al terzo turno di uno Slam e che, fra due lunedì, la incoronerà numero uno italiana e 40 al mondo, il suo nuovo best ranking. Alti e bassi— Nonostante l’epilogo in due set, il match si è rivelato equilibrato, nelle sue discontinuità. Con il servizio che è stato ostacolo, più che arma, per entrambe. Nel primo set, Cocciaretto è andata avanti di un break in tre occasioni, ma è stata sempre raggiunta al game successivo, in una serie di sei giochi in cui nessuna ha mai tenuto in battuta. Nel mezzo, Elisabetta, che già era entrata in campo con il ginocchio sinistro insaccato in un’ampia fasciatura, ha avuto bisogno di un timeout per fasciarsi anche la coscia destra. Al ritorno è sembrata meno sciolta, innervosita dal calo fisico. Il set lo impacchetta e regala lei a Pera, cedendoglielo con due doppi falli consecutivi. Al cambio campo, però, un toilet break le rischiara le idee. Coccia riparte meglio, anche se lo spartito del match rimane uguale: è chi tiene il turno di servizio a rompere l’equilibrio, non il contrario. Si arriva così al tiebreak, dove anche la tenacia di Elisabetta deve arrendersi a qualche errore di troppo, propizia...

E. RYBAKINA/A. Sabalenka 7-6, 6-4 THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. How does it feel to be the champion here at Indian Wells? ELENA RYBAKINA: Yes, feels amazing. It’s been tough but really good two weeks for me here, yeah. THE MODERATOR: Questions. Q. What were you able to do today to beat her for the first time? ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, I think important was the first set. We both had chances, but in the end, it went my way. So I think it was important this first set, and then it was a bit easier to start the second with an early break. Then the conditions also changed a bit. In the end of the second set it became very windy, so from one side it was difficult to play. But since I had this advantage of the score I, think this was the difference today. Q. Congratulations. She said that she started to get frustrated and fall into old habits, was the word she used. I was wondering if you could feel that, having played her in the past and then at the Australian Open, that she kind of reverted to more her old self at all. ELENA RYBAKINA: Yes, of course compared match in Australia, it was different, especially this first set, because she did couple of double faults, which gave me an advantage. But then I didn’t take this opportunity from the first times. Yeah, so of course I felt the difference, because in Australia she served really well. The second serve was, I think, same speed as the first one. So kind of really aggressive. Here I had some chances in the first set, and then I thi...

"I was not feeling good yesterday and the day before. I didn't sleep last night," said the 23-year-old Wimbledon champion. "I had fever and a headache and it's difficult to breathe. I tried in the warm-up but I feel it's the right decision to withdraw." Rybakina had swept into the last 32 without dropping a set. The Russian-born Kazakh was seen as a potential champion in Paris having arrived at Roland Garros with the prestigious Italian Open clay-court title under her belt. She had been seeded to face two-time champion Swiatek in the semi-finals. "I guess with my allergy that my immune system just went down and I picked up something," said Rybakina. "The doctor said there's a virus in Paris." Rybakina said she will focus on recovery ahead of defending her title at Wimbledon which gets underway on July 3. "The plan was to play Berlin, Eastbourne, and Wimbledon. There are not many tournaments on grass, but the most important thing is to get healthy again." Sorribes Tormo, ranked 132 in the world, will be playing in the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time. She will face either Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia or Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil for a place in the quarter-finals. Later Saturday, world number one Swiatek takes on China's 80th-ranked Wang Xinyu for a place in the last 16. Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscribe...

The 2022 Wimbledon Championships promised a return to old-school tactics, and though Ons Jabeur rode that nostalgic wave into her first major final It was instead a different kind of classic tennis that won the women’s final as Elena Rybakina hit through Jabeur’s attempts at improv, anchored by an effortless first serve. In an era too often defined by brittle, unreliable technique, the Russian-born Kazakh’s ground game is a master class of Robert Lansdorp-style precision that prioritizes clean, flat hitting above all else. But it all goes back to the serve, that serve, the shot that has not only earned her 221 aces in just under 40 matches—putting her in pole position to end a second season as the WTA tour’s Ace Leader—but also allowed her to rally from a set down to defeat an in-form Jabeur, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 for her first major trophy. Get to know the 23-year-old’s impeccable delivery before you, too, find yourself on the wrong end of it: The Power Not all power games are created equal. Where Aryna Sabalenka is on full stretch to attempt her at-times intimidating serve, Rybakina’s is all but an abbreviated delivery—one that commits to non-frills motion the likes of which typically seen in a video game. “How I developed my serve?” Rybakina asked of an inquiring journalist after her Wimbledon victory. “I think it was just the work of my coach also because I always had this power. We changed a bit the technique. I don't remember exactly which moment, but for sure it was on the ...

The 2022 Wimbledon Championships promised a return to old-school tactics, and though Ons Jabeur rode that nostalgic wave into her first major final It was instead a different kind of classic tennis that won the women’s final as Elena Rybakina hit through Jabeur’s attempts at improv, anchored by an effortless first serve. In an era too often defined by brittle, unreliable technique, the Russian-born Kazakh’s ground game is a master class of Robert Lansdorp-style precision that prioritizes clean, flat hitting above all else. But it all goes back to the serve, that serve, the shot that has not only earned her 221 aces in just under 40 matches—putting her in pole position to end a second season as the WTA tour’s Ace Leader—but also allowed her to rally from a set down to defeat an in-form Jabeur, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 for her first major trophy. Get to know the 23-year-old’s impeccable delivery before you, too, find yourself on the wrong end of it: The Power Not all power games are created equal. Where Aryna Sabalenka is on full stretch to attempt her at-times intimidating serve, Rybakina’s is all but an abbreviated delivery—one that commits to non-frills motion the likes of which typically seen in a video game. “How I developed my serve?” Rybakina asked of an inquiring journalist after her Wimbledon victory. “I think it was just the work of my coach also because I always had this power. We changed a bit the technique. I don't remember exactly which moment, but for sure it was on the ...

"I was not feeling good yesterday and the day before. I didn't sleep last night," said the 23-year-old Wimbledon champion. "I had fever and a headache and it's difficult to breathe. I tried in the warm-up but I feel it's the right decision to withdraw." Rybakina had swept into the last 32 without dropping a set. The Russian-born Kazakh was seen as a potential champion in Paris having arrived at Roland Garros with the prestigious Italian Open clay-court title under her belt. She had been seeded to face two-time champion Swiatek in the semi-finals. "I guess with my allergy that my immune system just went down and I picked up something," said Rybakina. "The doctor said there's a virus in Paris." Rybakina said she will focus on recovery ahead of defending her title at Wimbledon which gets underway on July 3. "The plan was to play Berlin, Eastbourne, and Wimbledon. There are not many tournaments on grass, but the most important thing is to get healthy again." Sorribes Tormo, ranked 132 in the world, will be playing in the second week of a Grand Slam for the first time. She will face either Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia or Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil for a place in the quarter-finals. Later Saturday, world number one Swiatek takes on China's 80th-ranked Wang Xinyu for a place in the last 16. Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscribe...

Il viaggio entusiasmante di Elisabetta Cocciaretto al Roland Garros si chiude alle porte della seconda settimana. La tennista azzurra è stata sconfitta da Bernarda Pera (numero 36 Wta) per 6-4 7-6, penalizzata da qualche fastidio fisico e da una giornata nera al servizio. Il suo comunque resta un grande percorso, che l’ha portata per la prima volta al terzo turno di uno Slam e che, fra due lunedì, la incoronerà numero uno italiana e 40 al mondo, il suo nuovo best ranking. Alti e bassi— Nonostante l’epilogo in due set, il match si è rivelato equilibrato, nelle sue discontinuità. Con il servizio che è stato ostacolo, più che arma, per entrambe. Nel primo set, Cocciaretto è andata avanti di un break in tre occasioni, ma è stata sempre raggiunta al game successivo, in una serie di sei giochi in cui nessuna ha mai tenuto in battuta. Nel mezzo, Elisabetta, che già era entrata in campo con il ginocchio sinistro insaccato in un’ampia fasciatura, ha avuto bisogno di un timeout per fasciarsi anche la coscia destra. Al ritorno è sembrata meno sciolta, innervosita dal calo fisico. Il set lo impacchetta e regala lei a Pera, cedendoglielo con due doppi falli consecutivi. Al cambio campo, però, un toilet break le rischiara le idee. Coccia riparte meglio, anche se lo spartito del match rimane uguale: è chi tiene il turno di servizio a rompere l’equilibrio, non il contrario. Si arriva così al tiebreak, dove anche la tenacia di Elisabetta deve arrendersi a qualche errore di troppo, propizia...

E. RYBAKINA/A. Sabalenka 7-6, 6-4 THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. How does it feel to be the champion here at Indian Wells? ELENA RYBAKINA: Yes, feels amazing. It’s been tough but really good two weeks for me here, yeah. THE MODERATOR: Questions. Q. What were you able to do today to beat her for the first time? ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, I think important was the first set. We both had chances, but in the end, it went my way. So I think it was important this first set, and then it was a bit easier to start the second with an early break. Then the conditions also changed a bit. In the end of the second set it became very windy, so from one side it was difficult to play. But since I had this advantage of the score I, think this was the difference today. Q. Congratulations. She said that she started to get frustrated and fall into old habits, was the word she used. I was wondering if you could feel that, having played her in the past and then at the Australian Open, that she kind of reverted to more her old self at all. ELENA RYBAKINA: Yes, of course compared match in Australia, it was different, especially this first set, because she did couple of double faults, which gave me an advantage. But then I didn’t take this opportunity from the first times. Yeah, so of course I felt the difference, because in Australia she served really well. The second serve was, I think, same speed as the first one. So kind of really aggressive. Here I had some chances in the first set, and then I thi...