Elena Rybakina starts at Wimbledon as the reigning champion for the first time in her career, but the world number three is feeling no pressure despite a virus and allergy hampering her pre-tournament preparations.
Elena Rybakina surprisingly became champion last year and used the momentum to win other titles and climb up the rankings. She reached the final of the Australian Open, where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka, but gained revenge when she claimed the crown in WTA 1000 Indian Wells Open before lifting the trophy in WTA 1000 Rome Open to climb to a career-high number three last month.
“Of course, this year is different. But I don’t feel so much pressure. The important thing is that we continue to work with the team. They also try to help me, to prepare for the matches. I hope that my level will remain as high and it will become a routine to defend titles from major tournaments”, said Elena Rybakina.
The Kazakhstani tennis player has only two matches on grass since withdrawing from the third round of the French Open after a viral illness forced her to take time off.
The 24-year-old player said it took her a full week before she was able to return to grass training and was forced to withdraw from the warm-up tournament in Eastbourne because she was not ready.
“The preparation we did, I would say was good, but still not as many hours and work as we wanted to put in. But overall I think we did the best we could. I have an allergy that has been bothering me for the whole month of May. I take pills, antihistamines, like everyone else. The virus I caught was because the immune system was weak during that period. But the body also had to recover, so it took a long time”, said also Elena Rybakina.
The third-seeded Elena Rybakina faces Shelby Rogers (USA) in the first round of Wimbledon.
