Elena Rybakina. A very difficult match. Very stressful. I didn’t start at my best and found the way in the end. At first, many thoughts were going through my head, but I am glad that I was able to find the way.
Where did those thoughts come from? Was it in the morning practice?
Elena Rybakina. I actually felt good in practice, but as soon as we started playing, I didn’t feel the ball like I did in my last match. Last game everything was going and it was just a nice feeling. Today I was struggling a bit to find the point of contact. It was sun, shade. Sometimes I was too late to react to the ball, especially on the return, so it’s a lot of little things like that. In your head, instead of focusing on what to do next, you focus on these details, and they don’t allow you to play freely.
You went to your box at the end of the first set. What was said?
Elena Rybakina. I was pretty negative and didn’t start the first set well, so I came in and just let the emotions out a little bit, saying everything I was thinking. He was just keeping me focused and trying to tell me to remember what we talked about before the meeting, what I should do. In the first set I was passive for a few moments, I didn’t have enough energy, but in the second set I came in and played a little more aggressively in the important moments.
You are very difficult to read in court. You are as calm as you look.
Elena Rybakina. No, of course there’s a lot going on inside. People who know me well, long enough, read even small changes in my face. It was a bit of a battle even within myself, a lot of emotions. At first it was quite negative, but then I found the way. I found the focus and it got better. But there’s definitely always a lot going on.
Zhannik Sinner once said that there is a storm inside him. How windy was it?
Elena Rybakina. It’s a lot of emotions. I try to hide it because you just don’t want to let the opponent see your frustration when something goes wrong. The best I did at that point was walk up to the box and let it go. They heard me. And actually I missed one more person from my box today. Unfortunately, he got sick, so every day is a surprise for us. It was a difficult morning, but we managed to do everything we could.
It certainly means a lot, but…
You’ll be No. 1 in the world on Monday. What does that mean for you tonight?
Elena Rybakina. Of course, it means a lot, but as I said before, I don’t think about it that much. It’s a great achievement and I feel like you’ll appreciate and think about it even more when you’re done with your career. Now you still have to keep going. It’s nice when you finish to say, OK, I’ve won these tournaments, I’ve been No. 1, that’s amazing. But right now, you never know how long you’ll have. There are still many things. I still want to win titles so all my thoughts are on the next match.
How does that compare to your two Grand Slam titles?
Elena Rybakina. It’s a different achievement. You go for more titles and then the ranking, it might follow, it might not. Depends on how others play. But mostly you think about the titles at the end of the day and I’m happy to have two now. I’m doing my best to win here. If not, of course, I will have other opportunities. But it would be good to say, well, I’ve won three out of four, if it’s here this time.
Being number 1 was something you dreamed of as a child.
Elena Rybakina. No. When I was a kid, I never thought I would become a pro or play in tournaments like this, on the biggest stages. My choice to go pro was at 17 and that’s where I believed I could do well. Of course, I didn’t know how far I could go. But as a kid, I just enjoyed playing tennis after school, hanging out with friends. It was just for fun.
No player from Kazakhstan has ever topped the rankings. What would that mean there?
Elena Rybakina. It is history and I am very proud to represent Kazakhstan. Every time I go back, no matter what city I go to, there are always a lot of kids. Now they play tennis and come more and more to tennis facilities. It’s just amazing how many young people look up to you and it just proves that anything is possible if you believe, if you work hard. It’s hard for me to say right now because I haven’t even checked the phone, but of course many people are congratulating. When I go there, I definitely want to give appreciation. Unfortunately, not as often as I can go, but I think it’s an amazing achievement for the country.
You mentioned the sun and the shadows. Would you rather have it or play until three in the morning like the Tuesday men did?
Elena Rybakina. Neither option is the best. It’s very difficult to play at night and so late because afterwards if you win it’s very difficult to recover, especially for the boys. In the morning, if I played maybe one or two matches in the morning, maybe it would be easier. I don’t know. I complained a little about myself, maybe a little about the team, but I found the way. Now, since I already played in the morning and played in the evening, there is nothing to complain about anymore.
And the semi-final?
Elena Rybakina. I just have to stay aggressive, try not to let my emotions stop me from playing and enjoy it. From where I was coming into this tournament, injured and not training, I think we’ve come a long way. Now we just need the last push and it’s important to still enjoy.
