_11_(cropped).jpg) Rybakina at the2025 Washington Open | |
| Full name | Elena Andreyevna Rybakina |
|---|---|
| Native name | Елена Андреевна Рыбакина |
| Country (sports) |  Kazakhstan (2018–) Russia (2014–2018) |
| Residence | Dubai, United Arab Emirates[1] |
| Born | (1999-06-17)17 June 1999 (age 26) Moscow, Russia |
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Turned pro | 2014 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Stefano Vukov (2019–2024, 2025–) |
| Prize money | US$24,438,717[2] |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 390–162 |
| Career titles | 11 |
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (12 June 2023) |
| Current ranking | No. 5 (10 November 2025) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | F (2023) |
| French Open | QF (2021,2024) |
| Wimbledon | W (2022) |
| US Open | 4R (2025) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (2025) |
| Olympic Games | SF – 4th (2021) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 54–51 |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 48 (18 October 2021) |
| Current ranking | No. 266 (10 November 2025) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2023) |
| French Open | QF (2021) |
| Wimbledon | 1R (2021) |
| US Open | 1R (2019) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 1R (2021) |
| US Open | 1R (2025) |
| Team competitions | |
| BJK Cup | QF (2025) |
| Last updated on: 10 November 2025. | |
Elena Andreyevna Rybakina[a]ⓘ (born 17 June 1999) is a Russian-born Kazakhstani professionaltennis player. She has beenranked as high as world No. 3 in women's singles by theWTA. Rybakina has won 11WTA Tour–level singles titles, including amajor at the2022 Wimbledon Championships, as well as the2025 WTA Finals and twoWTA 1000 events. Rybakina is the first Kazakhstani to win a major and to be ranked in the world's top 10. She is also the first player representing an asian country to win the WTA finals. She received the largest payout in the history of women's sport and the history of tennis for winning the WTA finals singles title.
As a junior, Rybakina reached a career-high junior ranking of No. 3. Born and playing as a Russian, she switched federations to Kazakhstan in June 2018, having just entered the world's top 200. Her first consistent success on the WTA Tour came in mid-2019 and included her first tour title at theBucharest Open and her top 100 debut. Rybakina made a breakthrough in 2020, during which she led the tour with five finals. She continued to improve, reaching the semifinals of theTokyo Olympics, and marked her career highlight by winning the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Her 2023 season saw her reach theAustralian Open final, win two WTA 1000 titles, and reach the world No. 3 ranking. In 2025, she won the 2025 WTA Finals.
Rybakina is noted for her excellentserve and can generate high-powered groundstrokes. She plays primarily from the baseline.
Elena Rybakina was born on 17 June 1999 in Moscow to Andrey Rybakin and Ekaterina. She started playing sports with her older sister, Anna, from a very young age, originally focusing ongymnastics andice skating.[3][4] Upon being told that she was too tall to become a professional in either of those sports, her father suggested she switch to tennis instead because of his interest in the sport.[citation needed] Rybakina began playing tennis at the age of six.[3]
Rybakina moved from theDynamo Sports Club to theSpartak Tennis Club, where she had several accomplished coaches. She trained with former top-10 playerAndrey Chesnokov and former top-100 playerEvgenia Kulikovskaya. One of her fitness coaches wasIrina Kiseleva, a World Championship gold medalist in themodern pentathlon.[5][6][7]
Rybakina did not have individual training until she was a junior, instead practicing in a group of about eight players up until age 15 and a group of four players through age 18. She also only played tennis about two hours per day and trained in fitness for three hours a day. Her time for tennis was limited in part because she attended a regular high school not specialized for athletes and needed to balance tennis with schoolwork.[8]
Rybakina is a former world No. 3 junior.[9] She began playing on theITF Junior Circuit in November 2013 at the age of 14. The following March, she won her first title at her second career event, the Grade-3Almetievsk Cup. She played her first Grade-2 event in June at the Ozerov Cup in Moscow, finishing runner-up to compatriotAnna Blinkova. She began playing Grade-1 events from the start of 2015, but did not have any success until she reached the final at the Belgian International Junior Championships in May, losing toKatharina Hobgarski.
Rybakina made her junior-major debut later in the year at theUS Open, where she reached the third round. Following an opening-round loss at the2016 Australian Open, she won back-to-back Grade-1 titles. She continued to struggle at the junior Grand Slam and other Grade-A events in singles for the rest of the year.[10] Her best result of 2016 at the Grade A-events came in doubles when she finished runner-up toOlesya Pervushina andAnastasia Potapova at theTrofeo Bonfiglio, alongsideAmina Anshba in an all-Russian final.[11]
The 2017 season was Rybakina's last year on the junior tour. In the middle of the season, she won her first and only Grade-A title at the Trofeo Bonfiglio, defeatingIga Świątek in the final.[12] She also fared better at the Grand Slam events compared to previous years, losing in the semifinals of theAustralian Open and theFrench Open to eventual championsMarta Kostyuk andWhitney Osuigwe, respectively. She finished her junior career at the first round-robin edition of theITF Junior Masters, the junior counterpart to theWTA Finals. She won one match in her round-robin group and finished in seventh place.[10]
Rybakina began playing on theITF Women's Circuit in December 2014, at the age of fifteen. While she was still playing on the junior circuit, she reached three ITF finals in singles and two in doubles, winning both of the doubles finals only in 2017.[13][14] She also made her WTA Tour debut in October 2017 at theKremlin Cup, where she reached the main draw through qualifying but lost in the opening round toIrina-Camelia Begu.[15]
At her next WTA tournament in February 2018, Rybakina won her first WTA Tour match at theSt. Petersburg Trophy againstTimea Bacsinszky. She thenupset world No. 7,Caroline Garcia, in three sets, after saving amatch point in the second set.[16] Losing in the next round,[17] this quarterfinal appearance helped her rise from No. 450 to No. 268 in the world.[18] In March, Rybakina won her first ITF singles title at a $15k event inKazan,[13] where she also won the doubles title.[14]Her next significant rankings jump came in April when she finished runner-up toSabina Sharipova at the $60kLale Cup in Istanbul, bringing her to No. 215. She broke into the top 200 for the first time in late May.[18] The following month, Rybakina acquired Kazakhstani citizenship and switched federations from Russia to Kazakhstan, having just turned nineteen years old at the time. TheKazakhstan Tennis Federation had offered her financial support to change her nationality, which she chose over various options to playcollege tennis in the United States.[3][19]
Playing for Kazakhstan, Rybakina entered her first Grand Slam qualifying draw at the2018 US Open, but did not reach the main draw.[13][20]
_(48199109407).jpg)
After playing mostly ITF events in the first half of 2019, Rybakina began playing primarily on the WTA Tour in the second half of the season. During the first few months of the year, she won three ITF titles, including the $60kLaunceston International. She made her Grand Slam debut at theFrench Open as a qualifier, losing toKateřina Siniaková. In her first WTA event on grass, Rybakina made her first semifinal at theRosmalen Grass Court Championships. Despite this success, she lost in qualifying atWimbledon.[21] Rybakina's breakthrough came in July when she won her maiden WTA Tour title at theBucharest Open, a month after turning 20 years old. During the event, she upset second seedViktória Kužmová before defeatingPatricia Maria Țig in the final.[21][22] With this title, she made her top 100 debut in the WTA rankings at No. 65.[18]
Rybakina qualified for her second main-draw Grand Slam match of the year at theUS Open, but again lost in the first round.[21] At her next tournament, she made her second WTA Tour tournament final of the year at theJiangxi International Open, finishing runner-up toRebecca Peterson.[23] This result brought her into the top 50 for the first time.[18] Rybakina closed out the year strong, reaching at least the quarterfinals at her last three events of the season. In particular, she reached the quarterfinals at theWuhan Open, her first career Premier-5 event. In the tournament, she defeated world No. 6,Simona Halep, who retired late in the first set with a lower back injury. She lost in the next round to eventual champion and world No. 14,Aryna Sabalenka.[24][25] Rybakina finished the season at No. 37 in the world.[18]
Rybakina led the WTA Tour in finals during the 2020 season, and finished tied for second in match wins.[26][27] She reached the finals at four of her first five events. Before theCOVID-19 pandemic led to the shutdown of the WTA Tour for more than five months, she had reached the final of every tournament except for theAustralian Open and theQatar Ladies Open, losing to world No. 1,Ashleigh Barty, in both instances, the latter in awalkover due to an abductor strain in her leg.[28][29] Prior to the Australian Open, her two finals came at International events. After losing her first final of the year toEkaterina Alexandrova at theShenzhen Open,[30] she defeatedZhang Shuai to win her second WTA title at theHobart International.[31] At Melbourne, she recorded her first two Grand Slam main-draw match wins againstBernarda Pera andGreet Minnen.[28] Following the tournament, she reached two Premier finals at theSt. Petersburg Trophy and theDubai Championships, finishing runner-up to No. 8Kiki Bertens and No. 2 Simona Halep, respectively.[32] At Dubai in particular, Rybakina defeated two top-ten players in No. 7Sofia Kenin and No. 3Karolína Plíšková, the latter of which was the highest ranked player she had defeated to date.[33][34] These four finals helped her climb to No. 17 in the world at the time of the tour shutdown.[18] She also became the first Kazakhstani player in the top 20 in history.[35]
During the bulk of the shutdown, Rybakina stayed in Moscow and did not have the opportunity to practice for two and a half months. She eventually resumed training inBratislava, Slovakia for five weeks.[36] When the tour resumed in New York in August, she lost her return match to Alexandrova and then only recorded one match win at theUS Open.[37][38] Back in Europe, she finally defeated Alexandrova at theItalian Open in her third opportunity of the year before squandering a chance to serve out the match in a third-round loss toYulia Putintseva.[39] At theInternationaux de Strasbourg, Rybakina reached her fifth final of the year and first since the resumption of the tour, losing in the final to No. 5,Elina Svitolina.[40] She did not carry this success to the next major, losing toFiona Ferro in the second round at theFrench Open.[41]
_(51375295797).jpg)
She reached the quarterfinals of theFrench Open without dropping a set when she defeatedSerena Williams in the fourth round.[42] At the same tournament, she also reached the quarterfinals in doubles, partneringAnastasia Pavlyuchenkova; incidentally, Pavlyuchenkova was the opponent who defeated her in the quarterfinals of the singles portion of the 2021 French Open.
Rybakina was the 15th seed of theOlympic Games tennis tournament, winning her first three matches without losing a set before a semifinals defeat to Belinda Bencic. In the bronze medal match, Rybakina was defeated in a comeback by Elina Svitolina.[43]
On 1 November 2021, she made her debut in the top 15, at world No. 14, becoming the highest ranked Kazakhstani player in history.
Rybakina started the season at theAdelaide International 1, making it to the final where she was defeated by world No. 1, Ash Barty.[44] Her success continued at theSydney Tennis Classic with a lopsided defeat of reigning US Open championEmma Raducanu, in the first round. She subsequently withdrew from the tournament citing a thigh injury.[45] She reached a career-high ranking of No. 12, on 17 January 2022.
Her remaining early hardcourt season saw little progress with a second-round retirement and a walkover at theAustralian Open andSt. Petersburg Ladies' Trophy, respectively, and a first-round loss at theQatar Ladies Open. Her "Sunshine Double" (Miami and Indian Wells) saw improvement with a quarterfinal appearance at theIndian Wells Open againstMaria Sakkari and a third-round appearance toJessica Pegula at theMiami Open.
Her clay-court season began with a second-round loss toAnhelina Kalinina after a first-round bye atCharleston. Following this, she representedKazakhstan as the team's top seed and won both of her singles matches in a tie againstGermany securing a berth in thefinals later in the year. The remainder of her clay-court season saw little achievement as she failed to advance into the quarterfinals at theStuttgart Open,Madrid Open,Italian Open, andFrench Open.
Rybakina's grass-court season in the lead up to Wimbledon saw a second-round loss toShelby Rogers at theRosmalen Open followed by a first-round bye and a second-round loss toLesia Tsurenko at theEastbourne International. At theWimbledon Championships, she reached her second Grand Slam quarterfinal, defeatingCoCo Vandeweghe,Bianca Andreescu,Zheng Qinwen andPetra Martić. Then she reached the semifinals at a Major for the first time, defeatingAjla Tomljanović in her quarterfinal match.[46] She became the first Kazakhstani singles player (male or female) to reach the semifinal of a Grand Slam.[47][48] Then she reached her first Major final, after defeating Simona Halep in straight sets, becoming the youngest Wimbledon finalist sinceGarbiñe Muguruza in 2015.[49] After dropping the first set, she defeatedOns Jabeur in three sets to secure her first major title.[50] She became the youngest woman champion since the 21-year-oldPetra Kvitová in 2011. She was the fourth-youngest active Grand Slam champion, older only thanIga Świątek, Bianca Andreescu and Emma Raducanu.[51] Rybakina's Russian nationality and previous international representation of Russia became a matter of public discourse in the aftermath of her success at Wimbledon 2022, where Wimbledon hadbanned athletes representing Russia and Belarus due toRussia's invasion of Ukraine.[52][53]Russian state media celebrated Rybakina's win as a national victory despite her longstanding decision not to represent the country of her birth.[54][55]
The North American hardcourt season began with early losses at theSilicon Valley Classic (first round) andCanadian Open (second). Her US Open preparations continued at theCincinnati Open where she advanced to the quarterfinals and was defeated byMadison Keys. Her season continued next with an entry to theUS Open as the 25th seed; however, she lost in the first round to qualifierClara Burel.[56]
_15_(cropped)_2.jpg)
Rybakina started the season at theAdelaide International 1, defeatingDanielle Collins in three sets[57] before losing toMarta Kostyuk in the second round.[58] She followed it by another loss inAdelaide International 2 to Petra Kvitová in straight sets. However, she reached the doubles final with partnerAnastasia Pavlyuchenkova. At theAustralian Open, Rybakina defeated 2022 finalist Danielle Collins again in the third round,[59] world No. 1 Iga Świątek in the fourth round[60] to become the first Kazakhstani woman to reach the quarterfinals at this major.[61] Next, she defeated former French Open championJeļena Ostapenko to reach her first Australian Open semifinal.[62] In the semifinals, she defeated former world No. 1 and two-time Australian Open champion,Victoria Azarenka, in straight sets, reaching the second Grand Slam final of her career.[63] However, despite winning the first set, Rybakina ultimately lost the championship match to Aryna Sabalenka in a high quality encounter.[64] She reached the top 10 on 30 January 2023 making her the first player representing Kazakhstan, male or female, ever to reach the top 10 on either the ATP or WTA rankings.[65][66]
InAbu Dhabi, defeating Karolina Plíšková,[67] she made the quarterfinals where she lost toBeatriz Haddad Maia.[68]InDubai, she reached the third round by beatingBianca Andreescu[69] andMarie Bouzková[70] in straight sets. She withdrew from her third round match against fifth seedCoco Gauff due to a lower-back injury.[71]AtIndian Wells, as the tenth seed, she made her second consecutive Indian Wells quarterfinal defeatingSofia Kenin,[72] 21st seed Paula Badosa[73] andVarvara Gracheva. Then, she defeatedKarolína Muchová to reach her first WTA 1000 semifinal.[74] In the semifinals, she moved past the defending champion Świątek, in straight sets, for the second time in 2023 to reach her first WTA 1000 final.[75] In the final, she edged second seed Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets, reversing the result of their matchup in the Australian Open final for her first WTA 1000 title.[76][77] This result pushed her singles ranking to a new career-high of world No. 7.[78]
Following the final inMiami where she lost to 15th seed Petra Kvitová who prevented her from completing the Sunshine Double,[79] and an early second round exit at theStuttgart Open and theMadrid Open to Beatriz Haddad Maia andAnna Kalinskaya, respectively, she reached a new career-high of world No. 6 on 8 May 2023. She reached the quarterfinals at theItalian Open and moved to a new career-high ranking of world No. 5 with wins overJasmine Paolini, Anna Kalinskaya by retirement, andMarkéta Vondroušová. Next she defeated world No. 1, Iga Świątek (who retired during the deciding set due to injury) for the third time to reach her first Rome semifinal.[80] Rybakina reached her third WTA 1000 final of the season defeating Jeļena Ostapenko. She became the third player in theOpen era to reach the final in the same season at the Australian Open, Indian Wells and Miami Open plus Rome, afterMonica Seles in 1991 andMaria Sharapova in 2012.[81] She won her first WTA 1000 clay title, after Anhelina Kalinina retired in the second set, and moved to a career-high ranking of world No. 4, on 22 May 2023.[82][83] At theFrench Open, despite her walkover due to respiratory illness in the third round,[84] she reached No. 3 in the world rankings on 12 June 2023.[85] On 26 June 2023, Rybakina announced her withdrawal from theEastbourne International event with a viral illness.[86]
AtWimbledon, Rybakina as defending champion reached the quarterfinals where she lost to Ons Jabeur in three sets.[87]
Following her quarterfinal loss at Wimbledon, she reached the semifinals at theCanadian Open for the first time in her career. She overcameJennifer Brady andSloane Stephens before defeatingDaria Kasatkina in a match that lasted 3 hours and 27 minutes, the longest match of Rybakina's career.[88] The match finished at 2:55am local time. In the semifinals Rybakina lost toLiudmila Samsonova in three sets reporting that she felt 'destroyed' physically in the post-match press conference because of the scheduling issues she faced during the tournament.[89]
She reached the third round of theUS Open as the fourth seed, losing toSorana Cîrstea in three sets.[90]
Rybakina started her 2024 season by winning theBrisbane International final against Aryna Sabalenka,[91] before going out in the second-round at theAustralian Open toAnna Blinkova in a match that featured the longest tie-break in Grand Slam history.[92][93]
She won theAbu Dhabi Open in February, beating Daria Kasatkina in the final.[94] Rybakina secured her third title of the season in April at thePorsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, beating two-time defending champion Iga Świątek in the semifinals,[95] and then Marta Kostyuk in straight sets in the final.[96] She made it through to the quarterfinals at theFrench Open, before losing to eventual runner-upJasmine Paolini.[97]
Moving onto the grass-court swing of the year, Rybakina retired due to illness during her quarterfinal match against Victoria Azarenka at theBerlin Ladies Open[98] and then withdrew from the following week'sEastbourne International.[99] AtWimbledon, she steamrollered former world No. 1Caroline Wozniacki, in just 57 minutes and for the loss of only one game in the third round,[100] before winning her next match when opponentAnna Kalinskaya retired injured in the second set.[101] Rybakina then beat Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals.[102][103] However, she lost toBarbora Krejčíková in the semifinals.[104][105]
Rybakina withdrew from theParis Olympics two days before it got underway due to acute bronchitis.[106] She defeated qualifierDestanee Aiava in the first round at theUS Open[107] but then withdrew from the tournament due to unspecified injuries.[108] On 23 September, Rybakina announced she would miss the entire Asian swing of the season due to a back injury.[109]
Rybakina played her first match since August at theWTA Finals in November, losing her opening group contest to Jasmine Paolini in straight sets.[110] She lost her second group match in three sets toZheng Qinwen.[111][112] Despite defeating world No.1, Aryna Sabalenka, in her final group match, Rybakina failed to reach the semifinals.[113]
Rybakina began her season at the2025 United Cup. She then played in theAustralian Open, before losing to eventual champion Madison Keys in the fourth round.[114]At the2025 Dubai Tennis Championships Rybakina reached back-to-back-to-back tour-level quarterfinals defeating world No. 10,Paula Badosa, after saving six match points.[115][116] Next, she defeated Sofia Kenin to reach her second semifinal in the Middle East swing (first was in Abu Dhabi) and ninth overall at the WTA 1000-level.[117] She lost to 12th seedMirra Andreeva in three sets.[118] AtIndian Wells, she defeatedSuzan Lamens in the second round andKatie Boulter in the third round before losing again to Andreeva in the fourth round, this time in straight sets.[119][120][121] Having reached the finals the year prior, Rybakina entered the2025 Miami Open seeded seventh, and lost toAshlyn Krueger in three sets in the second round.[122] Defending 500 points from her win in Stuttgart the previous year, she instead opted to play in the qualifiers for the2025 Billie Jean King Cup and dropped to No. 11 in the rankings on 21 April 2025.[123][124]
At theMadrid Open, Rybakina defeatedBianca Andreescu in the second round before losing to No. 17 seed Elina Svitolina in the third round.[125] However, at the2025 Italian Open, she defeatedEva Lys in the second round before losing to Andreescu in the third round.[126][127] As a last minute entry into theInternationaux de Strasbourg, Rybakina defeatedWang Xinyu,Magda Linette, and No. 9 seedBeatriz Haddad Maia to reach her first final since April 2024.[128][21] In the final, she defeated eighth seedLiudmila Samsonova in three sets to capture her first title in over a year.[129] Seeded 12th, Rybakina then reached the fourth round of the2025 French Open, before losing to Iga Świątek in three sets.[130]
Rybakina began her grass season at the WTA 500-levelQueen's Club Championships, where she lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual champion,Tatjana Maria.[131] She then reached the quarterfinals of the2025 Berlin Open, where she lost toAryna Sabalenka in three sets, despite having four match points.[132] Having reached the semifinals in 2024, Rybakina lost toClara Tauson in the third round of the2025 Wimbledon Championships.[133][134]
_02.jpg)
In July, Rybakina played in the WTA 500-level2025 DC Open, reaching the semifinals before losing to eventual championLeylah Fernandez in a grueling match that lasted over three hours and featured three tiebreaks.[135] She then played in the2025 National Bank Open in Montreal, Canada, where she again reached the semifinals before losing to wildcard and eventual champion,Victoria Mboko.[136][137] At the2025 Cincinnati Open, she defeated world No. 6Madison Keys in the fourth round, recording her first win against a top-10 player since February.[138] She then defeated world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals, marking her 7th win over a world No. 1 player, before losing in the semifinals to No. 2 seed and eventual champion,Iga Swiatek.[139][140][141] Seeded 9th at the2025 US Open, Rybakina defeated sixteen-year-old wildcardJulieta Pareja, qualifierTereza Valentová, and doubles partner and former championEmma Raducanu to reach the fourth round for the first time in her career, where she lost to2023 Wimbledon ChampionMarkéta Vondroušová.[142][143][144][145]
At the WTA 1000-levelChina Open in September, Rybakina had a first round bye, then defeatedCaty McNally in the second round before losing to German playerEva Lys in round three.[146][147][148] A few weeks later, at the 1000-levelWuhan Open, Rybakina again had a first round bye, and defeatedJaqueline Cristian andLinda Nosková, before losing in straight sets to Aryna Sabalenka in the quarterfinals.[149]
Aiming to qualify for theWTA finals, Rybakina defeatedDayana Yastremska, qualifierAjla Tomljanović, No. 2 seedJasmine Paolini, and No. 4 seedEkaterina Alexandrova at the 500-levelNingbo Open to earn her second title of the year and tenth overall.[150][151][152] She then entered the 500-levelPan Pacific Open, defeatingLeylah Fernandez andVictoria Mboko en route to securing the last remaining spot for the 2025 WTA Finals for the third straight year, before withdrawing from the Tokyo tournament.[153][154][155]
In November, at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Rybakina topped 4th-seededAmanda Anisimova, No. 2Iga Świątek, and second alternateEkaterina Alexandrova to reach the semi-finals, where she defeated 5th seedJessica Pegula.[156][157] In the final, she upset world No 1Aryna Sabalenka to capture the WTA Finals crown, and extend her 11-match win streak. As a result of her undefeated victory, Rybakina earned a record-breaking $5.235 million in prize money, and finished the season as the world no. 5.[158]
With a powerful serve, Rybakina is an aggressive baseliner who aims to finish points quickly, and whose high risk game style leads to an accumulation of both winners and unforced errors. She can generate effortless power, both ongroundstrokes and herserve.[159][160][161] Herforehand andbackhand are both hit flat, with relentless depth and speed, allowing her to generate excellent power with both her groundstrokes, and she can hitwinners with both shots.[162] Her serve, which is capable of reaching 127 mph (204 km/h),[50] allows her to serve a large number ofaces. She led the tour in the ace count in both 2020, with 192 aces, and in 2025, when she became the first player sinceKarolína Plíšková to hit over 500 aces in a single season.[163][164] She also has good movement given her height, although this is one of the few weak areas in her game.[165] Adriano Albanesi, a WTA coach, described her as "a right-handed[Petra] Kvitová".[166] Rybakina plays with a very calm demeanor, and believes she can defeat any opponent.[33][160][167]
Rybakina hiredAndrei Chesnokov, whom she had already trained with at Spartak Tennis Club, to be her private coach in 2018 at the age of 18. This was the first time she had an individual coach. Chesnokov only coached in Moscow and did not travel with her to tournaments.[3][5] In February 2019, Rybakina switched coaches toStefano Vukov, a Croatian former tennis player who briefly competed mainly on theITF Futures tour.[8][168] With Vukov as her first travelling coach, Rybakina rapidly improved, rising from just inside the top 200 of the WTA rankings into the top 30 in about a year.[3][5] In November 2024, she announcedGoran Ivanišević as her new coach having split from Vukov after that year's US Open.[169] They worked together until her2025 Australian Open exit.[170]
In January 2025, Rybakina rehired Vukov as an additional coach; he was subsequently suspended by theWTA under a code of conduct investigation,[171] and later banned for 12 months, barring him from gaining accreditation at WTA–sanctioned events.[172] In his absence, Rybakina hired Italian coach and former ATP tour playerDavide Sanguinetti.[173] Vukov's ban was removed in August that same year, and he returned to coaching Rybakina.[174] According tothe Athletic, Rybakina told several people that "her relationship with [Vukov] had become personal and romantic"; they were said to have shared a hotel room in Melbourne during the Australian Open.[175]
Elena Rybakina has established several notable rivalries during her career on the WTA Tour.
Her rivalry withAryna Sabalenka is among the most prominent. They have faced each other 14 times in total, with Sabalenka leading their head-to-head 8–6.[176] Both players are known for their aggressive baseline play, resulting in fast-paced and intense matches. A notable encounter was the2024 Madrid Open, where Sabalenka came back from a set and a break down to win in three sets.[177] Rybakina secured a significant victory at the 2023 Indian Wells Open, winning in straight sets.[178] Rybakina defeated Sabalenka again in the finals of the2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh to win her first WTA Finals title.[179]
Rybakina has also developed a competitive rivalry withIga Świątek. They have met 11 times, with Świątek leading their head-to-head 6–5. Their matches are highly anticipated due to their contrasting playing styles and high rankings.[180] Rybakina came back from a set down to win at the2025 WTA Finals in Riyadh and snapped a four match losing streak.[181]
Another significant rivalry is withJasmine Paolini. They have faced each other six times, with the head-to-head split 3–3. Paolini's most notable win came at the 2024 French Open quarterfinals, where she defeated Rybakina 6–2, 7–6, marking her first win over a top-five player at a major and propelling her into her first Grand Slam semifinal.[182]
Rybakina has also had notable encounters withPaula Badosa, with their head-to-head record standing at 4–4. Their matches are often closely contested, reflecting their similar aggressive playing styles.[183]
Rybakina has been sponsored byYonex for clothing and shoes since the2023 French Open.[184] She had previously been endorsed byAdidas from the start of 2020, and byNike.[185] She uses aYonex VCore 100 racket.[186]
On 24 January 2023, Rybakina began to cooperate withBank RBK [kk].[187]
In March 2023, Rybakina donated₸35 million to rising female tennis players in Kazakhstan.[188]
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | Q1 | 3R | 2R | 2R | F | 2R | 4R | 0 / 6 | 14–6 | 70% |
| French Open | A | 1R | 2R | QF | 3R | 3R[i] | QF | 4R | 0 / 7 | 16–6 | 73% |
| Wimbledon | A | Q3 | NH | 4R | W | QF | SF | 3R | 1 / 5 | 21–4 | 84% |
| US Open | Q2 | 1R | 2R | 3R | 1R | 3R[ii] | 2R[iii] | 4R | 0 / 7 | 8–6 | 57% |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–2 | 4–3 | 10–4 | 10–3 | 13–3 | 11–3 | 11–4 | 1 / 25 | 59–22 | 73% |
| Tournament | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A | 2R | 1R | A | 3R | 0 / 3 | 3–3 | 50% |
| French Open | A | 1R | QF | 1R | A | 0 / 3 | 3–3 | 50% |
| Wimbledon | A | NH | 1R | A | A | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% |
| US Open | 1R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0 / 8 | 6–8 | 43% |
Note: Rybakina switched federations from Russian to Kazakhstani in June 2018.
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2022 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Ons Jabeur | 3–6, 6–2, 6–2 |
| Loss | 2023 | Australian Open | Hard |  Aryna Sabalenka | 6–4, 3–6, 4–6 |
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2025 | WTA Finals | Hard (i) | Aryna Sabalenka | 6–3, 7–6(7–0) |
World Top 10 tennis players as of 17 November 2025[update] | |
|---|---|
Women's Tennis Association: Top ten female singles tennis players of countries in theAsian Tennis Federation | |
|---|---|
as of 3 November 2025 | |
| |
|
Women's Tennis Association: Top ten female singles tennis players fromCentral Asia | |
|---|---|
as of 20 October 2025 | |
| |
|
Women's Tennis Association: Top Kazakhstani female singles tennis players | |
|---|---|
as of 30 June 2025 | |
| |
|
