Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina reacts as she plays against Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka during the women’s singles final on day thirteen of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 28, 2023. (Photo by Martin KEEP / AFP)
Elena Rybakina enters Wimbledon as the defending Grand Slam champion, marking the first time in her career. Despite a virus affecting her preparation for her title defense, the world number three emphasizes that she does not feel pressured.
Rybakina, who won as a surprise champion last year, used the victory as a stepping stone to excel in subsequent tournaments and climb up the rankings. She reached the Australian Open final, where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka, but redeemed herself by capturing the Indian Wells crown and the Rome trophy, propelling her to a career-high number three ranking last month.
Speaking to reporters, Rybakina remarked, “Of course, it’s different this year. I won’t say that I feel so much pressure. Of course, people are talking. The important thing is that we keep on working with the team. They’re also trying to help me prepare for the matches. Hopefully, my level stays high, and defending the title becomes a normal thing.”
Due to a viral illness and subsequent withdrawal from the French Open, Rybakina has only played two matches on grass. She revealed that it took a full week of recovery before she could resume training for the grasscourt swing and had to withdraw from a warm-up event in Eastbourne because she was not ready.
She explained, “The preparation we did was good, but it fell short of the amount of hours and work we wanted to put in. But overall, I think we maximized our efforts. I have an allergy, and May is the worst month for me. I take antihistamine pills like everyone else. The virus I caught was due to my weakened immune system during that period. It was just a virus, and I couldn’t take much. But my body had to recover naturally, which took a lot of time.”
In the first round, the third seed will face Shelby Rogers, whom she lost to on grass in their previous meeting in 2022. “She’s a tough player, serves well, and tries to play aggressively,” Rybakina commented. “It won’t be an easy match. We know each other pretty well.”
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