Thinking about her parents brought tears to Yelena Rybakina’s eyes. “They would probably be super-proud,” the 23-year-old said on the evening of her Wimbledon triumph.
Without much emotion, the Russian-born player had still celebrated the moment of unexpected victory, which would have been impossible without her change of nation four years ago.
And even when the first Kazakh Grand Slam tournament winner received the Venus Rosewater Dish as a trophy from the hands of Duchess Kate, she looked overwhelmed by her unexpected premiere success. “I’m speechless, I was super nervous before the match and during the match,” Rybakina said. “I’m glad it’s over, I’ve never felt like this before.”
Rybakina turned around the final against world number two Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to enjoy the biggest win of her career. “I still have to teach her how to celebrate really well,” Jabeur joked in view of the cool way Rybakina reacted on the court.
Professionals from Russia and Belarus had been barred from Wimbledon because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Rybakina had stressed several times during the tournament that she was happy to represent Kazakhstan. “They believed in me. There is no question now how I feel. I have been on a journey as a Kazakh player for a long time.” Addressing the war, she said she wanted it to “end as soon as possible”. After her win, she thanked Kazakhstan federation president Bulat Utemuratov for his confidence and hugged him in the stands. “I am really grateful for everything. “
Kazakh President: “Historic Victory “
From Kazakhstan, President Kassym-Shomart congratulated Tokayev on a “historic victory”. Rybakina is an “outstanding sportswoman”, the head of state of the Central Asian country tweeted about the first singles triumph by a Kazakh woman at a Grand Slam tournament. She also received congratulations from Russia. “We contributed a lot to her development,” Shamil Tarpishchev, head of the Russian Tennis Federation, told the Russian newspaper Sport-Express. “Is there resentment against her? No. This is sport. Everyone chooses their own way. That’s her right.”
Before the final, she had dodged questions about where she lives in Moscow. She said her many travels as a professional athlete mean she is actually at home on the tour. “I spend most of my time on the tour. I train in Slovakia between tournaments, have camps in Dubai. So I don’t live anywhere, to be honest. “
Two million pounds prize money for Rybakina
Jabeur, Tatjana Maria’s semi-final defeat, had initially dominated the match. But Rybakina fought her way back with her powerful game in front of celebrities like actor Tom Cruise. The Moscow-born player, who changed her nationality in 2018, will receive two million British pounds (the equivalent of 2.36 million euros) for her triumph.
Jabeur was paid 1.05 million pounds for reaching the final, missing out on the first Grand Slam title for an Arab and African player. “I’m happy that I inspired so many generations from my country,” said the 27-year-old, who had repeatedly stressed that she played for all Arab and African players. “You are an inspiration not only for juniors but for everyone,” Rybakina gushed about her opponent. “You have an incredible game, I enjoy playing against you so much. “
Jabeur takes first set
It quickly became clear that it was going to be a very different match for Jabeur compared to the semi-final against Maria, which had been characterised by finesse and many undercut duels on both sides. Rybakina, as usual, relied on her powerful serve and powerful groundstrokes. However, in contrast to her impressive semi-final win over former winner Simona Halep of Romania, she showed nerves and also had trouble dealing with her opponent’s slice. After a backhand error by the Kazakh, Jabeur got the first break for 2:1 and jumped for joy.
Rybakina stayed on in a tight game, but couldn’t put enough pressure on her opponent on Jabeur’s serve. So the Tunisian took her first set point after just 32 minutes for her second break and a well-deserved 6-3.
Rybakina unimpressed
Rybakina was unimpressed at first, taking the first service from her opponent with the first chance. Nevertheless, Jabeur had fun, played a ball after the point with her head, returned a lob while running back through her legs. But rhythm, concentration and a little later the second set were gone.
In the deciding set, Rybakina also had less problems with her opponent’s stop balls than at the beginning and immediately got the break. Jabeur became increasingly desperate and missed three break points at 2:3. Instead, she once again gave away her own serve and made a mistake on Rybakina’s first match point.
