Elena Rybakina provides fitness update ahead of first event since Australian Open win

Monday, 09 February 2026 at 11:35

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byErik Virostko

Elena Rybakina will return to action at the 2026 Qatar Open in Doha, which will be her first tournament since becoming a two-time major winner.

Rybakina started the new season by winning her second Grand Slam title. She beat everyone in Melbourne, including the WTA world No. 1, Aryna Sabalenka, in the final. The Kazakhstani player seemed to be unstoppable, losing only one set over the two weeks at the Australian Open.

Only one week later, she had to stop celebrating her win and start focusing on the next event. Rybakina is scheduled to compete at the Qatar Open in Doha. Thanks to her rise in the rankings after her Australian Open win and Aryna Sabalenka's withdrawal, Rybakina is the second seed in Doha.

Ahead of the event, she was asked about her fitness, given that the tournament comes so soon after her Australian Open win. Rybakina admitted that she had a cold in the past week, which is why she had to take a few days off and rest.

"Of course, we tried to celebrate after the match a little bit with the team. It’s not been much time since the Australian Open, but I had some time to rest. I think it’s good for me to start here, to still try to keep the momentum, and hopefully I can play well here."

"It was a long tournament in Australia, a lot of matches, and of course, a lot of emotions after. But I think we get used to this kind of schedule. We are from one tournament to go to play almost straight away another one, so it’s a bit tricky."

"I had a cold, so I had to really rest a couple of days and didn’t do much. But now, as I said, it’s a good momentum to try to keep going. Hopefully, this week is going to be as good in Australia, but if not, we have so many tournaments ahead, and there are big ones."

Rybakina will be one of the top favorites to lift the trophy in Doha. As the second seed, she has a first-round bye, which means her tournament will start in the second round. The two-time major winner will take on the winner of the match between Emiliana Arango and Wang Xinyu.

After that, she could play against fellow major winner Sofia Kenin or the Olympic gold medalist and former Australian Open finalist, Zheng Qinwen. Coco Gauff is the fourth seed and appears in Rybakina's part. The top-seeded Iga Swiatek is on the other side, so she can't meet Rybakina before the final.