Elena Rybakina breaks silence on her ‘fragile’ mindset before winning a historic Wimbledon title last year
Rybakina, after missing the French Open due to injury, is set to defend her Wimbledon title.
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Elena Rybakina (Image via CNN)
Elena Rybakina is one of the most popular young sensations in the tennis world. Her historic Wimbledon win in 2022 made her a star overnight and was unarguably the stage that launched her to glory. However, she never thought she would even come close to winning the coveted trophy.
In fact, her goal coming into the second week of the Slam was not to win but something completely contrasting. In an exclusive interview with Daily Mail, Rybakina opened up on her pre-Wimbledon thoughts.
Rybakina opened up on how her season, especially the grass court tournaments, didn’t go as per plan. This made her think about her chances at the event and which led to her keeping low expectations of herself. “I had ups and downs during last season and before Wimbledon my tournaments weren’t successful, I was struggling with injury. I had been on the road a long time and so I had not many expectations going there,” she said.
“I was actually thinking I would be on holiday in the second week because the grass hadn’t gone well. I thought, “Let’s just see how it goes”. I didn’t have any pressure and every match I improved,” she added.
The Kazakhstani spoke about how not having any pressure on herself helped her improve after every match. Rybakina kept on improving, and eventually, she beat Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the final to lift the Wimbledon title. The emphatic win made her etch her name in the tennis history books.
Rybakina talks about her childhood memories of Wimbledon
Like any aspiring tennis player, Rybakina too would be glued to the television and watch Wimbledon when she was small. However, she never thought she would win the event. She was overly impressed with the tradition and loved everything that the stellar grass court Grand Slam had to serve.
This is what she had to say about her memories, “I was watching Wimbledon on TV as a child, I always liked the traditions of strawberry and champagne, but I never thought I would even compete there, let alone win it. Of course it’s a beautiful place when you get there and that gives you a lift.”
Rybakina never in her dream thought should we able to win the coveted championship. But through all trials and tribulations, she prevailed. Can she repeat the feat once again in 2023? After missing the Roland Garros due to injury, Rybalinka will have her eyes set on the Wimbledon title.
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Manan Mehta
(215 Articles Published)