Elena Rybakina is currently one of the best players in the world but she's still not where she should be in the rankings.
Last year, the 23-year-old won her first major and she continued to perform well also after that. Now, she's the seventh-ranked woman on the WTA Tour, but that also doesn't respond to her recent achievements. In the 2023 WTA Race, the Kazakh is ranked 2nd, only behind Aryna Sabalenka, and with only around 1000 points left to defend, she's ready for a major breakthrough.
On the other hand, her rivals Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek defend much more as the Belarusian has 3000 more points to defend while the young Pole will face a difficult task with almost seven thousand points to defend. With her current second place in the WTA Race, Rybakina may very soon break into the Top 3 of the WTA Rankings, and inspire even more athletes.
"It’s really nice to think that you’re an inspiration for someone. I would not say that I am very, how would you say, the person who likes to be kind of on the stage because sometimes it can be too much but other times it might not. It’s important to keep a balance and for now I feel comfortable, with all that attention."
In a recent interview, he Kazakh reflected on her only major win, the 2022 Wimbledon triumph. It was a great experience for her but she wasn't rewarded for it in a way that every Grand Slam champion is, and that is by 2000 ranking points.
“For sure Wimbledon was really special and for sure it was different from winning at like the other Grand Slams so that one was special but now after all the results like Australian Open all these big results I had, there is more attention. Probably I was expecting after Wimbledon but I’m getting it now.”
Even after the triumph, Rybakina didn't suddenly become a big star as many fellow Grand Slam champions, but now, after her Australian Open final run and rise into the Top 10 of the WTA Rankings, she finally becomes recognized.
“I was not upset but I was probably waiting for something different. I think with managing the schedule and after Wimbledon it was different and it was one part of my life which is also changing outside of tennis now it’s a bit different and kind of easier and yeah I’m enjoying it more.”
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