Elena Rybakina said she feels much more confident about performing on clay surfaces after her 2023 Italian Open victory.
Rybakina was in complete control after winning the first set 6-4 in the Italian Open final against Anhelina Kalinina before the Ukrainian player retired with an injury one game into the second set. Bizarrely, it was Rybakina's third win at the competition by walkover after the Kazakhstani also progressed through two earlier rounds when Anna Kalinskaya and Iga Swiatek also had to withdraw.
Yet, Rybakina was not attributing her success in Rome purely to withdrawals from opponents. When speaking to WTA Insider following her victory the 23-year-old explained that she now feels more experienced and better prepared for clay success.
"I always felt that I could play good on clay but it was either not enough time to prepare and when I was a kid I wasn't spending that much time on clay. So it was a bit strange because I feel like I can play good, but it wasn't the results that I wanted or still I wasn't that confident. Now, I think it's just experience and better preparation that I have. I can have good results."
Also, Rybakina said that the victory has given her a newfound momentum heading into the 2023 French Open. The Kazakhstani player has the belief that she can improve on her previous best performance at Roland Garros - a run to the quarter-finals in 2021.
"It's still a lot of work because at least before the hard-court season, and hopefully before grass, I have good time for preparation. For clay, it wasn't as much time as I wanted, not as many practices as I wanted to have. That's why my expectations were still not that high. But for sure these two weeks helps me come to French Open, with all these matches. For me to maintain physically to be healthy, I'm sure I can do well at the French Open."
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