Elena Rybakina cannot qualify for the semifinals of the WTA Finals, but she still hopes to cause Aryna Sabalenka problems in her final match.
Despite Rybakina's exceptional ability, it was always going to be challenging for the 25-year-old to perform near her best at the WTA Finals because she had not played for over two months beforehand.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion had an extended period away from the WTA Tour after withdrawing hours before her second-round match at the US Open against Jessika Ponchet.
Rybakina mentioned the range of issues she dealt with during those two months at a press conference at the WTA Finals, including insomnia and allergies, meaning the break she had was necessary.
There had been rumors that Rybakina's absence was linked to her unexpected split with longtime coach Stefano Vukov before the US Open. The Croatian coach was often criticized for being harsh and aggressive to her during matches.
However, Rybakina tried to end such speculation by insisting she was good with Vukov. This year's Miami Open runner-up did not go into much detail about the situation, meaning fans still doubt it was unlinked.
She also shared exciting news before the WTA Finals. At the end of the 2024 season, Rybakina will begin working with Novak Djokovic's former coach, Goran Ivanisevic. He helped Djokovic win nine Grand Slam titles.
Although that news might have boosted Rybakina, the backdrop of a lack of match practice, illnesses, and losing her longtime coach lowered the Kazakhstani's usually high expectations.
Jasmine Paolini defeated Rybakina in straight sets in the opening round. She performed better against Qinwen Zheng in her next match, but the Chinese player triumphed in three sets.
That means Rybakina cannot qualify for the next stage of the WTA Finals, but she was encouraged by the improvement against Olympic gold medalist Zheng in just her second match back after a long absence.
"Yeah, today was a longer match and I think I had some chances also in the first set. I was always down but then in the tiebreak, just a couple of better points and then it would’ve been easier, but overall I played again from beginning till the end this tough match, three sets."
"Not the result I wanted of course and definitely in the third set, physically I was already very tired and didn’t feel the greatest, but overall it’s a good one for me."
Rybakina knows how challenging it will be to beat Sabalenka. The two have had some epic battles in the past, most notably a thrilling 2023 Australian Open final that Sabalenka won in three sets.
The world No. 1 is undoubtedly the favorite to win, but Ryabkina is not under any pressure, and she hopes to make it as difficult as possible for Sabalenka.
"She’s been playing really well this year and she has a lot of confidence and it’s going to be a difficult one definitely. But I feel that even today I played better than the last match, so hopefully against her I can try to push myself a little bit more and we see how it goes. She’s No 1 now, so I want to enjoy and make it a bit difficult for her too."