Elena Rybakina warns rivals as she reveals ‘main goal’ of 2025 season after WTA Finals exit
Elena Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka in her third group-stage match at the WTA Finals, which was also her last match in the year-end event.
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Elena Rybakina (via X)
Elena Rybakina is no longer a part of the 2024 WTA Finals as she got eliminated from the tournament following her two defeats in the group-stage matches. After beating Aryna Sabalenka in her third match, Rybakina talked about what she will be targeting next year.
Rybakina made her comeback to the court since the US Open, where an injury forced her to withdraw before her second-round match against Jessika Ponchet. She was up against Jasmine Paolini in her first group-stage WTA Finals match and lost it in straight sets.
The Kazakh then tried hard to eke out a win against Qinwen Zheng but succumbed to a three-set defeat. In her third match, however, she finally secured a win, beating Sabalenka in three sets.
It was Rybakina’s fourth win over the Belarusian in their 10 encounters. The 2022 Wimbledon champion, who achieved her career-high ranking as No. 3, is chasing the No. 1 ranking and wants to achieve this goal next year.
My goals are to win Slams, definitely. And the main goal is to become World No.1 one day. So, hopefully, next year.
Elena Rybakina said (via WTA Insider)
The result did not affect Sabalenka as she had already booked a spot in the semifinals after her win over Zheng and Paolini. Sabalenka recently became World No. 1 and is also assured of being the year-end No. 1 for the first time in her career.
Daniela Hantuchova was excited about the partnership between Elena Rybakina and Goran Ivanisevic
Elena Rybakina shocked the tennis world after announcing that she had hired Novak Djokovic‘s former coach Goran Ivanisevic. Many fans and pundits have expressed their excitement about this and recently, former player Daniela Hantuchova shared what she feels about this new team.
We all know Goran is a great, great coach, obviously, has a lot of experience, and Rybakina is a very aggressive player. She needs to use her service well. Something has not really worked well for her this tournament, so I think it could only be a great addition.
Daniela Hantuchova told Sky Sports Tennis
Before Ivanisevic, Rybakina used to play under Stefano Vukov, but there were rumors about her being subjected to psychological pressure. Then reports of Vukov being banned from the WTA Tour also came out.
Rybakina, in an interview however, quashed these rumors and chose not to say much about the topic. She ended this season with three titles which she lifted at the Brisbane International, Abu Dhabi Open, and Stuttgart Open.
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Gouri Das
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