Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina: I once told my coach I really didn’t like grass

Elena Rybakina revealed she once thought she would never be a good grass player but now feels she can play pretty well on all surfaces. 

Rybakina, 23, became a Grand Slam champion last summer after beating Ons Jabeur in the Wimbledon. 

At the start of this season, Rybakina finished as runner-up at the Australian Open.

“I feel pretty well on all surfaces, and for me, it’s actually also fun to change the surface; that’s the beauty of the sport, to adapt all the time. I feel confident on the grass, which I actually never thought I’m going to be that good on. Because as a junior I played maybe one or two times and it was not successful so when I started to work with my coach I said I don’t really like grass, I don’t know how to play on it. But in the end, it’s for now my best achievement. My first WTA trophy was on clay, so I think I can play on all surfaces,” Rybakina told Eurosport.

Rybakina has titles on all surfaces

On the clay courts of Bucharest in 2019, Rybakina lifted her first WTA title.

The following year, Rybakina made it all the way on the hard courts of Hobart.

Last summer, Rybakina captured the Wimbledon title.

Rybakina has three titles in her collection, with all three coming on different surfaces.

Also, Rybakina is now a top-10 player. 

When asked about breaking into the top-10, Rybakina admitted it will probably help her schedule better certain tournaments.

“Probably yes, because you can know your schedule better [when you have a higher ranking]. For example, now in Doha, I am still in qualies, so you cannot really predict, but if you’re top 10, you can plan easier. You have this advantage sometimes not to play the first round, so you have a few more extra days to practice. If you’re travelling, that helps,” Rybakina said.