Elena Rybakina feels like she’s ‘not the Wimbledon champion,’ says life as champion ‘not the greatest’
ELENA Rybakina knows there’s not much to say about her first tournament back after a two-year break from the game.
A year and a half ago, in her first tournament back after a lengthy, two-year break, she couldn’t stop the ball even when the match played out two to one.
But she was playing the same opponent: the world number three Daniil Medvedev, one of the biggest names in women’s tennis, who will hope to be in the same league after his Wimbledon win. The two have met five times in the past two years, with Medvedev prevailing two out of five, the most recent in the third round of the US Open.
“The good thing about it is that I am a new player. I am not familiar with this match – and it is tough to go from the tennis court to the court of life after such a long break,” she told Reuters after beating another former top 10 player, the Austrian Simona Halep, 1-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
In her second tournament back, on Tuesday, Rybakina will face the world number 11 Caroline Garcia, who she beat in the final of the Qatar Total Open last month.
“I am still thinking the match against Daniil will be very hard. I’ve learned a lot already since January, and it’s about to pay dividends for me,” said Rybakina, who now faces Garcia for the second time in a week.
“She is a top player, but I’ve never faced her before. I’m happy just to be out there, and I will try to win.”
Rybakina, now 25 years old and two years older than Garcia, did some light training on Tuesday at the Spanish Tennis Federation’s technical centre in Valencia.
“I feel good, I am in perfect shape now. I’m training