Elena Rybakina hopes her triumph at the Australian Open will pave the way for a stellar season as she sets her sights on closing in on the No.1 spot one day.
Rybakina, who will rise to third in the WTA standings on Monday, outlasted Aryna Sabalenka in three sets to win her second major title in Melbourne. Three-and-a-half years after she won her first at Wimbledon. Throughout the final, Rybakina had the ability to tame her rival’s power and showed great fight by coming back from 0-3 in the decider.
The 26-year-old has now won four out of the last six tournaments played. Although one of the two she didn’t win was because she withdrew. Rybakina is currently on a 10-match winning streak against top 10 players and has recorded more WTA Tour-level wins than any other player since Wimbledon.
“Not really,” Rybakina replied when asked if she felt unbeatable. “I played in Brisbane (earlier this month) and I lost the match there.
“I feel like throughout the last couple of weeks I improved, which is really nice.
“Each match was different, but again, my serve in the beginning was not as good.
“I’m very proud of the work we did with the team, and actually that I found my kind of best form here at the Grand Slam.”
Aggression is the key to Rybakina’s resurgence. In the final against Sabalenka, her fastest serve was 190kmh, which was just 12kmh higher than her match average. One pivotal factor in her form is her team, which has, in recent months, gone through a turbulent time.
Coach Stefan Vukov was hit with a provisional suspension over allegations of mistreating Rybakina. An allegation that both have always denied. Following a WTA investigation into a potential breach in their code of conduct, he was cleared to return to the Tour last summer. The full details of the investigation were never made public due to confidentiality reasons.
“We always adapt to how I feel because the schedule is not easy. So you need to manage your body and some little injuries, so you need to constantly talk with your team and make different plans.” Rybakina said of her approach to the Tour.
“You might have a couple of plans, but then in the morning you wake up and then it’s a completely different story. It’s all about communication and having great people around you.”
One of Rybakina’s goals is to close in on Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek in the coming weeks, who currently occupy the top two spots in the WTA standings. She is currently less than 400 points behind Swiatek, but Sabalenka is still more than 3000 points ahead.
“They’re tough opponents, and they have great results,” she said.
“For so long, they have been at the top and are stable. I’m happy that now I’m getting back to this level, and hopefully I can be stable again throughout the whole season and keep on showing great tennis.”
As for targeting the No.1 spot, Rybakina says she has high ambitions but isn’t shedding light on what they are just yet.
“I have big goals. Time will show but we will keep on working and hopefully I achieve my goals. I’m going to keep on working.” She states.
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