Laura Robson puts her FIRM trust in Elena Rybakina over her title defense at Wimbledon despite illness woes

Robson believes that Elena Rybakina is the best grass court player currently.

Laura Robson puts her FIRM trust in Elena Rybakina over her title defense at Wimbledon despite illness woes

Laura Robson, Elena Rybakina (Image via Eurosport and Sky Sports)

In a recent interview with Eurosport, British player Laura Robson echoed her belief regarding Kazakhstani player Elena Rybakina, stating that she still has a lot of chances for winning the Wimbledon trophy once again. Rybakina who is recovering from a viral illness, hadn’t had a great year so far. Fans and critics have raised doubts regarding a good performance from her this year.

But, Robson seems to have another opinion for the Kazakhstani. She claimed that Rybakina is the best grass court player in the world which makes the Kazakhstani one of her favorites. She believes that ‘realistically’, Rybakina has a lot of chance of winning even if she didn’t start the year at her full potential. “I think realistically, she still has a great chance, even if she’s not 100% at the start of the tournament,” said Robson.

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Robson emphasized that Rybakina’s powerful serve and ability to dominate with her first strike can be advantageous in the initial rounds, allowing her to defeat many opponents even without being at her best. “I would say that the first couple of rounds, if she can just get a good first strike in and try and dominate with the serve, she can beat a lot of players without being 100%.”

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The former player also emphasized the importance of staying calm and avoiding undue pressure when defending a title. Robson acknowledged the challenges of defending a championship while maintaining a relaxed and composed mindset. She believes that Rybakina, known for her laid-back nature off the court, is not overly concerned about the pressure and is well-equipped to handle the situation.

“It’s very difficult and very tough to try and keep the pressure off yourself. But at the same time, she seems like a very relaxed person, very chill outside the core and I don’t actually think she’s too worried about it.”

Robson considers both Aryna Sabalenka and Rybakina as the main contenders on grass courts, noting their powerful serves and heavy shots from the baseline, which can potentially inflict significant damage on opponents.

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How has Elena Rybakina’s year been so far?

Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina (Image via Reuters)

Elena Rybakina started off this year quite exceptionally, reaching the finals of the Australian Open and giving a tough time to Belarusian player, Aryna Sabalenka although she lost the championship. Later on, Rybakina dished out an exceptional performance at the WTA 1000 Italian Open and went on to win the single. Her fierceness made the fans and critics believe that she is going to have a great year. But the universe had something else stored for her.

During the clay season, the Kazakhstani seemed to have a great start. But as soon as she reached the fourth round of Roland Garros, she unexpectedly withdrew from the tournament minutes before the start of the round. She was set to face Spanish player Sara Sorribes Tormo but she experienced some fever and headaches with difficulty in breathing, which made it difficult for her to play. Later on, it was revealed that she was suffering from an upper respiratory illness.

Weeks later, she moved to the United Kingdom for the grass court season where she was supposed to compete at the 2023 Eastbourne International. But in the press conference, Rybakina expressed that her condition got worse after Paris and she is not feeling completely physically fit to participate. Eventually, she withdrew from Eastbourne International as well.

Unfortunately, she has failed to recover from the illness which apparently has been caused by a virus, and chances of her playing at Wimbledon where she is the defending champion seem slim. She is still world number 3 and has the support of people like Laura Robson and former world number 1 Andy Roddick. Only fate and time will decide if she gets to win her second Wimbledon trophy.

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