'It’s Still Crazy, I Can’t Believe It: Rybakina On Coach Getting Her Name Tattooed
WTA
Elena Rybakina remains stunned that her coach, Stefano Vukov, got the 23-year-old's name tattooed after her triumph at Wimbledon.
Rybakina was not among the favorites to win the women's singles at this year's Wimbledon Championships, but she had an outstanding run to the title. It included recovering from losing the first set against Ons Jabeur in the final.
What fans did not know at the time was Vukov promised during the 2020 Qatar Open to get Rybakina's named tattooed if she ever won Wimbledon. The Kazakhstani had forgotten about that because it was so long ago.
However, Vukov kept the promise he made over two years ago by having Rybakina's named tattooed after she secured the Wimbledon title. In an interview with the Guardian, she admitted to still being amazed that Vukov kept his word.
"I already forgot [about the bet] – we were laughing around. Before the final, he told me that he would do it. So, he did it. For me, it’s still crazy, I can’t believe it. But it is what it is. We had a bet.”
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Rybakina also described why their partnership works well in the same interview. The Wimbledon champion said the contrast between her calmness and Vukov's more active approach worked well and helped to bring out the best in her.
"I’m a very calm person and he is very active. He has so much energy and I think it works well for us because we are completely different. He’s always pushing me to be better and this works. I’ve had great results with him. We’ll see how long and how many more achievements we can make together"
That incredible run has raised expectations of Rybakina ahead of the US Open. Although grass suits her game the most, she possesses the talent to challenge for Grand Slams on any surface.
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