Elena Rybakina

2.1. Childhood and education

Rybakina's early childhood was spent in Moscow, where she began her athletic pursuits. She attended a regular high school, not one specialized for athletes, which meant she had to balance her tennis training with her academic responsibilities. This limited her daily tennis practice to about two hours, supplemented by three hours of fitness training. She did not receive individual coaching until her junior years, instead practicing in group settings: with approximately eight players until age 15, and then with a group of four players until age 18.

2.2. Transition to tennis

Rybakina's shift from gymnastics and figure skating to tennis was primarily due to her physical stature being deemed unsuitable for professional careers in her initial sports. Her father's enthusiasm for tennis further encouraged this transition. She started playing tennis at the Dynamo Sports Club before moving to the Spartak Tennis Club, a renowned institution where she received guidance from accomplished coaches. Among her mentors were former top-10 player Andrey Chesnokov and former top-100 player Evgenia Kulikovskaya. Her fitness training was overseen by Irina Kiseleva, a World Championship gold medalist in the modern pentathlon.

3.1. ITF Junior Circuit

Rybakina made her debut on the ITF Junior Circuit in November 2013, at the age of 14. Her second career event, the Grade-3 Almetievsk Cup in March 2014, saw her win her first title. In June of the same year, she competed in her first Grade-2 event, the Ozerov Cup in Moscow, where she finished as runner-up to her compatriot Anna Blinkova.

She began participating in Grade-1 events at the start of 2015, but it was not until May that she found significant success, reaching the final of the Belgian International Junior Championships, where she lost to Katharina Hobgarski. Rybakina made her junior-major debut at the US Open later that year, advancing to the third round. Following an opening-round loss at the 2016 Australian Open, she secured back-to-back Grade-1 titles. While she continued to face challenges in singles at junior Grand Slams and other Grade-A events throughout 2016, her best result in a Grade A-event that year came in doubles at the Trofeo Bonfiglio, where she and Amina Anshba finished as runners-up to Olesya Pervushina and Anastasia Potapova in an all-Russian final.

The 2017 season marked Rybakina's final year on the junior tour. During this period, she claimed her first and only Grade-A title at the Trofeo Bonfiglio, triumphing over Iga Świątek in the final. She also showed improved performance at the junior Grand Slam events, reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open and the French Open. In both instances, she was defeated by the eventual champions, Marta Kostyuk and Whitney Osuigwe, respectively. She concluded her junior career at the inaugural round-robin edition of the ITF Junior Masters, where she won one match in her group and secured seventh place overall.

4.1. 2014-2018: Early career and federation change

Rybakina commenced her professional journey on the ITF Women's Circuit in December 2014, at the age of fifteen. While still active on the junior circuit, she reached three ITF singles finals and secured two ITF doubles titles, both in 2017. Her WTA Tour debut came in October 2017 at the Kremlin Cup, where she advanced through qualifying to the main draw but was defeated in the opening round by Irina-Camelia Begu.

In February 2018, at the St. Petersburg Trophy, Rybakina earned her first WTA Tour main-draw victory against Timea Bacsinszky. She then achieved a notable upset by defeating world No. 7, Caroline Garcia, in a three-set match after saving a match point in the second set. Although she lost in the subsequent round, this quarterfinal appearance propelled her ranking from No. 450 to No. 268. In March, Rybakina claimed her inaugural ITF singles title at a $15k event in Kazan, where she also won the doubles title.

Her ranking continued to improve significantly in April when she finished as runner-up to Sabina Sharipova at the $60k Lale Cup in Istanbul, elevating her to No. 215. She broke into the top 200 for the first time in late May. A pivotal moment in her career occurred in June 2018, shortly after her nineteenth birthday, when she acquired Kazakhstani citizenship and switched her national representation from Russia to Kazakhstan. This decision was influenced by the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation's offer of financial support, which she chose over various opportunities to play college tennis in the United States. Despite the change in national representation, she maintained her residence in Moscow. Later that year, playing for Kazakhstan, Rybakina entered her first Grand Slam qualifying draw at the US Open, though she did not advance to the main draw.

4.2. 2019: First tour title and top 50

The 2019 season marked a significant breakthrough for Rybakina, as she transitioned from primarily playing ITF events to competing consistently on the WTA Tour. In the early months of the year, she secured three ITF titles, including the $60k Launceston International. She made her Grand Slam main-draw debut at the French Open as a qualifier, where she lost to Kateřina Siniaková.

In her first WTA event on grass, Rybakina reached her maiden WTA semifinal at the Rosmalen Grass Court Championships. Despite this success, she was unable to qualify for Wimbledon. Her major breakthrough came in July when she won her first WTA Tour title at the Bucharest Open, a month after turning 20. During the tournament, she upset second seed Viktória Kužmová before defeating Patricia Maria Țig in the final with a dominant 6-2, 6-0 scoreline. This victory propelled her into the top 100 of the WTA rankings, reaching world No. 65.

Rybakina qualified for her second Grand Slam main-draw match of the year at the US Open, but again exited in the first round. At her subsequent tournament, the Jiangxi International Open, she reached her second WTA Tour final, finishing as runner-up to Rebecca Peterson. This result saw her enter the top 50 for the first time. Rybakina concluded the year strongly, reaching at least the quarterfinals in her final three events of the season. Notably, she advanced to the quarterfinals at the Wuhan Open, her first career Premier-5 event. In Wuhan, she defeated world No. 6, Simona Halep, who retired late in the first set due to a lower back injury. Rybakina then lost in the next round to eventual champion and world No. 14, Aryna Sabalenka. She finished the 2019 season ranked No. 37 in the world.

4.3. 2020: Five finals and top 20

The 2020 season, though disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, was a landmark year for Rybakina. She led the WTA Tour in finals reached, with five appearances, and finished tied for second in overall match wins. Before the tour's five-month shutdown due to the pandemic, she had reached the final of every tournament she played, except for the Australian Open and the Qatar Ladies Open. In both instances, she was defeated by world No. 1, Ashleigh Barty, with the latter being a walkover due to an abductor strain in her leg.

Her first two finals of the year were at International events. After losing her first final to Ekaterina Alexandrova at the Shenzhen Open, she claimed her second WTA title at the Hobart International, defeating Zhang Shuai 7-6^(9-7), 6-3. At the Australian Open, she recorded her first two Grand Slam main-draw match victories against Bernarda Pera and Greet Minnen, before falling to Barty in the third round. Following the Australian Open, she reached two Premier finals: the St. Petersburg Trophy, where she was runner-up to world No. 8 Kiki Bertens, and the Dubai Championships, where she lost to world No. 2 Simona Halep in a closely contested match. In Dubai, Rybakina notably defeated two top-ten players, world No. 7 Sofia Kenin and world No. 3 Karolína Plíšková, with the latter being her highest-ranked victory to date. These four finals propelled her to world No. 17 at the time of the tour suspension, making her the first Kazakhstani player in history to enter the top 20.

During the extensive tour shutdown, Rybakina remained in Moscow and was unable to practice for two and a half months. She eventually resumed training in Bratislava, Slovakia, for five weeks. Upon the tour's resumption in New York in August, she lost her first match back to Alexandrova and secured only one match win at the US Open, falling to Shelby Rogers. Returning to Europe, she finally defeated Alexandrova at the Italian Open after two previous losses, but then squandered a chance to serve out her third-round match against Yulia Putintseva. At the Internationaux de Strasbourg, Rybakina reached her fifth final of the year and first since the tour's restart, ultimately losing to world No. 5, Elina Svitolina. However, she could not replicate this success at the next major, losing to Fiona Ferro in the second round of the French Open.

4.4. 2021: French Open quarterfinals

The 2021 season saw Rybakina continue to solidify her presence on the WTA Tour, achieving significant results at Grand Slams and the Olympic Games. She reached the quarterfinals of the French Open without dropping a set, notably defeating Serena Williams in the fourth round. At the same tournament, she also advanced to the quarterfinals in doubles, partnering with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Incidentally, Pavlyuchenkova was the opponent who defeated Rybakina in the singles quarterfinals.

Rybakina was the 15th seed at the Olympic Games tennis tournament in Tokyo. She won her first three matches without losing a set before a semifinal defeat to Belinda Bencic. In the bronze medal match, Rybakina was defeated in a comeback by Elina Svitolina, missing out on a medal. On November 1, 2021, she made her debut in the top 15, reaching world No. 14, which at the time made her the highest-ranked Kazakhstani player in history.

4.5. 2022: Wimbledon champion

The 2022 season was career-defining for Elena Rybakina, culminating in her first Grand Slam title. She began the season at the Adelaide International 1, reaching the final before being defeated by world No. 1, Ashleigh Barty. Her success continued at the Sydney Tennis Classic with a dominant victory over reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu in the first round, though she subsequently withdrew from the tournament due to a thigh injury. On January 17, 2022, she achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 12.

Her remaining early hardcourt season saw limited progress, with a second-round retirement at the Australian Open and a walkover at the St. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy, followed by a first-round loss at the Qatar Ladies Open. Her "Sunshine Double" tournaments in Miami and Indian Wells showed improvement, as she reached the quarterfinal at the Indian Wells Open, where she lost to Maria Sakkari, and the third round at the Miami Open, falling to Jessica Pegula.

Her clay-court season commenced with a second-round loss to Anhelina Kalinina after a first-round bye at Charleston. Following this, she represented Kazakhstan as the team's top seed in the Billie Jean King Cup, winning both of her singles matches in a tie against Germany and securing a berth in the finals later in the year. The remainder of her clay-court season yielded few achievements, as she failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals at the Stuttgart Open, Madrid Open, Italian Open, and French Open.

Rybakina's grass-court season leading up to Wimbledon included a second-round loss to Shelby Rogers at the Rosmalen Open, followed by a first-round bye and a second-round loss to Lesia Tsurenko at the Eastbourne International. At the Wimbledon Championships, she reached her second Grand Slam quarterfinal, defeating CoCo Vandeweghe, Bianca Andreescu, Zheng Qinwen, and Petra Martić. She then advanced to her first Major semifinal by defeating Ajla Tomljanović in the quarterfinals, becoming the first Kazakhstani singles player (male or female) to reach a Grand Slam semifinal. She subsequently reached her first Major final by defeating Simona Halep in straight sets, making her the youngest Wimbledon finalist since Garbiñe Muguruza in 2015. In the final, after dropping the first set, she defeated Ons Jabeur in three sets (3-6, 6-2, 6-2) to secure her first major title. This made her the youngest woman champion since the 21-year-old Petra Kvitová in 2011, and the fourth-youngest active Grand Slam champion, older only than Iga Świątek, Bianca Andreescu, and Emma Raducanu.

Rybakina's Russian nationality and her previous representation of Russia became a subject of public discussion following her Wimbledon victory, especially as Wimbledon had banned athletes representing Russia and Belarus due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Despite her long-standing decision to represent Kazakhstan, Russian state media celebrated Rybakina's win as a national victory. Furthermore, the WTA did not award ranking points for Wimbledon 2022 due to the ban, which meant Rybakina's ranking did not reflect her achievement; she would have otherwise risen to world No. 2.

The North American hardcourt season began with early-round losses at the Silicon Valley Classic (first round) and the Canadian Open (second round). Her US Open preparations continued at the Cincinnati Open, where she advanced to the quarterfinals before being defeated by Madison Keys. Her season continued with an entry to the US Open as the 25th seed; however, she lost in the first round to qualifier Clara Burel.

4.6. 2023: Two titles, major final, No. 3

The 2023 season was highly successful for Rybakina, marked by a Grand Slam final appearance, two WTA 1000 titles, and a career-high ranking. She began the season at the Adelaide International 1, defeating Danielle Collins in three sets before losing to Marta Kostyuk in the second round. She followed this with another loss at the Adelaide International 2 to Petra Kvitová in straight sets, though she reached the doubles final with partner Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

At the Australian Open, Rybakina showcased strong form, defeating 2022 finalist Danielle Collins again in the third round and world No. 1 Iga Świątek in the fourth round. This made her the first Kazakhstani woman to reach the quarterfinals at this major. She then defeated former French Open champion Jeļena Ostapenko to reach her first Australian Open semifinal. In the semifinals, she overcame former world No. 1 and two-time Australian Open champion, Victoria Azarenka, in straight sets, securing her second career Grand Slam final appearance. However, despite winning the first set, Rybakina ultimately lost the championship match to Aryna Sabalenka in a high-quality encounter (6-4, 3-6, 4-6). Following the tournament, she entered the top 10 on January 30, 2023, becoming the first player representing Kazakhstan, male or female, to reach the top 10 on either the ATP or WTA rankings.

In Abu Dhabi, after defeating Karolína Plíšková, she reached the quarterfinals where she lost to Beatriz Haddad Maia. At the Dubai Tennis Championships, she advanced to the third round by beating Bianca Andreescu and Marie Bouzková in straight sets, but withdrew from her third-round match against fifth seed Coco Gauff due to a lower-back injury.

At Indian Wells, as the tenth seed, she made her second consecutive Indian Wells quarterfinal after defeating Sofia Kenin, 21st seed Paula Badosa, and Varvara Gracheva. She then defeated Karolína Muchová to reach her first WTA 1000 semifinal. In the semifinals, she moved past the defending champion Iga Świątek in straight sets for the second time in 2023, reaching her first WTA 1000 final. In the final, she edged second seed Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets (7-6^(13-11), 6-4), reversing the result of their Australian Open final matchup and claiming her first WTA 1000 title. This victory propelled her singles ranking to a new career-high of world No. 7.

Following her loss in the final of the Miami Open to 15th seed Petra Kvitová, which prevented her from completing the "Sunshine Double" (winning Indian Wells and Miami in the same year), and early second-round exits at the Stuttgart Open and the Madrid Open to Beatriz Haddad Maia and Anna Kalinskaya, respectively, she reached a new career-high of world No. 6 on May 8, 2023. She then reached the quarterfinals at the Italian Open, moving to a new career-high ranking of world No. 5 with wins over Jasmine Paolini, Anna Kalinskaya (by retirement), and Markéta Vondroušová. Next, she defeated world No. 1, Iga Świątek, for the third time in 2023 (Świątek retired during the deciding set due to injury) to reach her first Rome semifinal. Rybakina reached her third WTA 1000 final of the season by defeating Jeļena Ostapenko. She became only the third player in the Open Era to reach the finals of the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami Open, and Rome in the same season, following Monica Seles in 1991 and Maria Sharapova in 2012. She won her first WTA 1000 clay title after Anhelina Kalinina retired in the second set, and consequently moved to a career-high ranking of world No. 4 on May 22, 2023. At the French Open, despite her withdrawal due to respiratory illness in the third round, she reached world No. 3 in the rankings on June 12, 2023. On June 26, 2023, Rybakina announced her withdrawal from the Eastbourne International event due to a viral illness.

At Wimbledon, as the defending champion, Rybakina reached the quarterfinals where she lost to Ons Jabeur in three sets, in a rematch of the previous year's final. Following her quarterfinal loss at Wimbledon, she reached the semifinals at the Canadian Open for the first time in her career. She overcame Jennifer Brady and Sloane Stephens before defeating Daria Kasatkina in a match that lasted 3 hours and 27 minutes, marking the longest match of Rybakina's career, which finished at 2:55 AM local time. In the semifinals, Rybakina lost to Liudmila Samsonova in three sets, stating in her post-match press conference that she felt "destroyed" physically due to the scheduling issues she faced during the tournament. She reached the third round of the US Open as the fourth seed, losing to Sorana Cîrstea in three sets.

4.7. 2024: Three WTA 500 titles, illnesses

Rybakina's 2024 season started strong but was frequently impacted by illnesses and injuries. She began by winning the Brisbane International final against Aryna Sabalenka. However, she exited the Australian Open in the second round, losing to Anna Blinkova in a match that featured the longest tie-break in Grand Slam history.

In February, she won the Abu Dhabi Open, defeating Daria Kasatkina in the final. Rybakina secured her third title of the season in April at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, where she beat two-time defending champion Iga Świątek in the semifinals and then Marta Kostyuk in straight sets in the final. She reached the quarterfinals at the French Open, before losing to eventual runner-up Jasmine Paolini.

Moving onto the grass-court swing, Rybakina retired due to illness during her quarterfinal match against Victoria Azarenka at the Berlin Ladies Open and subsequently withdrew from the following week's Eastbourne International. At Wimbledon, she dominated former world No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki, in just 57 minutes, losing only one game in the third round. She then won her next match when opponent Anna Kalinskaya retired injured in the second set. Rybakina proceeded to beat Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals but ultimately lost to Barbora Krejčíková in the semifinals.

Rybakina withdrew from the Paris Olympics two days before it began, citing acute bronchitis. She defeated qualifier Destanee Aiava in the first round at the US Open but then withdrew from the tournament due to unspecified injuries. On September 23, Rybakina announced she would miss the entire Asian swing of the season due to a back injury. Rybakina played her first match since August at the WTA Finals in November, losing her opening group contest to Jasmine Paolini in straight sets. She lost her second group match in three sets to Zheng Qinwen. Despite defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in her final group match, Rybakina failed to reach the semifinals.

4.8. 2025: Season start

At the start of the 2025 season, Rybakina competed in the 2025 Australian Open, where she reached the fourth round before her exit. Following this, at the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships, she achieved back-to-back-to-back tour-level quarterfinals, notably defeating world No. 10 Paula Badosa after saving six match points. She then defeated Sofia Kenin to reach her second semifinal in the Middle East swing (her first was in Abu Dhabi) and her ninth overall at the WTA 1000-level. She ultimately lost to 12th seed Mirra Andreeva in three sets in the semifinals.

7.1. Aryna Sabalenka

One of Rybakina's most significant rivalries is with Aryna Sabalenka. The two players have met ten times since 2019, with Sabalenka currently holding a 6-4 lead in their head-to-head record. Both Rybakina and Sabalenka are known for their aggressive baseline styles, which often lead to fast-paced and intense matches.

Their encounters have produced several memorable contests. At the 2024 Madrid Open, Sabalenka staged a remarkable comeback from a set and a break down to defeat Rybakina 1-6, 7-5, 7-6⁽⁵⁾. Conversely, Rybakina secured her first victory against Sabalenka at the 2023 Indian Wells Open, winning 7-6⁽¹¹⁾, 6-4. Their most high-profile match to date was the final of the 2023 Australian Open, where Sabalenka defeated Rybakina in three sets after Rybakina had won the first set, claiming her first Grand Slam title.

9.1. Grand Slam singles performance

9.2. Grand Slam doubles performance

Note: Rybakina switched federations from Russian to Kazakhstani in June 2018.

9.3. WTA Tour singles finals

Rybakina has reached 19 WTA Tour singles finals, winning 8 titles and finishing as runner-up 11 times. This includes one Grand Slam title at Wimbledon and two WTA 1000 titles.