Elena Rybakina Reflects on Her Up-and-Down 2025 Season with a Lot of Pride

Elena Rybakina ended her 2025 season by winning the WTA Finals for the first time in her career in Riyadh.

Elena Rybakina Reflects on Her Up-and-Down 2025 Season with a Lot of Pride

Elena Rybakina (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

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Elena Rybakina didn’t have the best start to the season on tour this year, but she began to grind hard in May, which saw her end up with two tour titles, including the prestigious WTA Finals in Riyadh. The 26-year-old, who had dealt with a lot of problems this year, reflected on her performance on the court with a lot of pride.

Rybakina began the year with a coaching problem as she rehired Stefano Vukov just four months after splitting with him and a month after beginning her partnership with Goran Ivanisevic. The former World No. 3’s shocking decision attracted attention from the media and the WTA, and Vukov was later suspended for breach of conduct in the women’s circuit.

But before that, Ivanisevic ended her partnership with the Kazakhstan star on tour, leaving Rybakina with no coach for weeks before she hired Davide Sanguinetti. But the former Wimbledon champion struggled on the court during that period as she failed to reach a tournament final from January to May.

It was at the Strasbourg Open, she claimed her first title. She continued with the form until the tail end of the season, when she had to play several matches on tour, which helped her leapfrog Mirra Andreeva into the top eight at the WTA Finals. Despite being the last player to qualify, she went unbeaten at the event, beating Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek.

She also dropped just three sets en route to her championship win at the WTA Finals in Riyadh. During an interview with Kazakhstan outlet Tengrinews, Rybakina revealed that a packed schedule during the Asian swing ultimately helped her to find her rhythm which gave her the needed boost to win the season-ending event:

Ultimately, after playing a lot of matches, we managed to find our rhythm and work on it, even though there were so many tournaments. I’m really happy that my season turned out so well. This happened even though, by the end, I was already thinking about how to rest. You’re tired, but you’re with the team. I’m also very grateful to them – we didn’t have much time. Playing tournaments, we were able to improve some things in my game.

Rybakina didn’t reach the quarter-finals of any Grand Slam this season. Her best run came at the US Open, where she reached the round of 16 before losing to 2023 Wimbledon champion Markéta Vondroušová in three sets. In other major tournaments, she managed to reach the third round.

Elena Rybakina hopes other tournaments will follow the WTA Finals’ footsteps in awarding prize money

Elena Rybakina has won several titles in her career, which has seen her amass over $8 million. However, most of the money came from her victory at the WTA Finals, where she earned a ridiculous $5.235 million for winning the event unbeaten, a record prize money at the prestigious tournament.

Elena Rybakina (via X/The Tennis Letter)
Elena Rybakina (via X/The Tennis Letter)

During the aforementioned, Rybakina was asked how she feels other tennis tournaments will react after receiving the mind-blowing prize money in Riyadh. The 26-year-old revealed that the players on tour are committed to making sure that tournaments increase their prize money, especially in big events:

I think we’re aiming for more tournaments to increase their prize pools. So, I think it’s just a matter of time. In a couple of years, I’m sure other tournaments will follow suit. But, of course, the prize money is very large, and I’m incredibly happy that I managed to achieve this result. The previous generation’s struggle to raise the prize money has now begun to bear fruit.

Earlier this year, a group of top 10 players in the men’s and women’s circuit signed a petition to Grand Slam organizers demanding for increments in prize money. Talks were held on a few occasions but are now stalled after the major tournament chiefs’ revealed that they have to settle their dispute with the Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA).

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