Rybakina Looking To Make Memories During 'Scary & Fun' Wimbledon Title Defence

| by Evita Mueller

Elena Rybakina won the 2023 Wimbledon Championships but she didn't really celebrate as iconically as some other players did.

Rybakina and celebrations don't generally go together as the player is rather reserved and very shy outside of tennis. She is a killer on the court, one that will pummel you into the ground but off the court, the soft-spoken Rybakina doesn't stand out.

She does stand out on a tennis court with her heavy game that suits grass perfectly. Just recently she was described as the best grass player on the Tour by Andy Roddick who knows a thing or two about gars's tennis. It's a strange thing for Rybakina considering that she didn't think much of grass last year.

I had ups and downs during last season and before Wimbledon my tournaments weren’t successful, I was struggling with injury. I had been on the road a long time and so I had not many expectations going there. I was actually thinking I would be on holiday in the second week because the grass hadn’t gone well. I thought, “Let’s just see how it goes”. I didn’t have any pressure and every match I improved.’

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It went really well as she made her way to the final outplaying Ons Jabeur in the final. Winning Wimbledon was obviously a dream for Rybakina who grew up watching the event and all of its traditions. She didn't think she'd be there one day though.

I was watching Wimbledon on TV as a child, I always liked the traditions of strawberry and champagne, but I never thought I would even compete there, let alone win it. Of course it’s a beautiful place when you get there and that gives you a lift.

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Tennis wasn't really in the plans for Rybakina though sports was. She tried gymnastics as a kid but was deemed too tall. She tried ice skating for a few months but once again was ruled out because she was too tall. She wasn't too tall for tennis as there is no such thing so she ended up with tennis. A good decision.

My dad liked tennis, and had played a bit when he was in his early 20s. He thought it would be fun but when we went my sister said straight away that she didn’t like it. I liked it from the start, even though it was tough going there without my sister. I played a lot but I probably didn’t think I was going to go professional until 17.’

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