Moscow-born Elena Rybakina has sailed through to the women’s final of this year’s Wimbledon Championships – despite a ban on Russian athletes.
The tennis star, 23, who still lives in the Russian capital, has managed to dodge the ban by switching her allegiance and will face Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in Saturday’s final on Centre Court.
She is widely regarded as the underdog in the competition – but she will be hoping to repeat her stunning victory over World No 1 Simona Halep in the semi-final.
Her victory has been cheered by Russian-media – ‘Russian-born star storms into Wimbledon final,’ cheered the front page of the Russia Today website.
However four years ago Rybakina decided to represent Kazakhstan in tournaments – and she appears to be fed up of questions about Russia.
Speaking after her sensational win against World No 1 Halep in the semi-finals, she said: ‘I’m playing for Kazakhstan for a long time. I’m really happy representing Kazakhstan.’
Elena Rybakina, 23, who was born and lives in Moscow, has been able to enter this year’s Wimbledon Championships after switching her allegiance to represent Kazakhstan in 2018
Puppy love! The star appears to be a dog lover and has posted photos of herself cuddling pooches on Instagram
‘They believed in me. There is no more question about how I feel. It’s already a long time my journey as a Kazakh player.’
Born in Moscow in 1999, Rybakina has been into sports from a young age and used to compete in several different sports with her sister.
Her groundstrokes are penetrative and she moves with a grace born of those childhood pursuits.
The 23-year-old was a gymnast and figure skater as a child but was told she was too tall to have a future in either sport.
Rybakina (pictured in Dubai) posts photos of herself all around the world as she travels for training and touring
Elena is private about her personal life but is occasionally spotted out and about at the theatre and visiting other events while not on court
So she turned her hand to her father’s favourite sport, tennis.
She first picked up a racquet at the age of six and showed a natural flair for the sport.
By the age of 15 she played her first match on the International Tennis Federation circuit in Turkey and turned professional two years later.
Rybakina’s first ever Grand Slam at the age of 20 saw her crash out in the first round of the French Open. But since then she has only continued to shine.
The 23-year-old was a gymnast and figure skater as a child but was told she was too tall to have a future in either sport
Off-court Rybakina is fairly private, but she shares snippets of her personal life and behind-the-scenes on tour.
Seemingly a dog lover, the 23-year-old visited a dog shelter in November last year to meet some of the pooches up for adoption.
The rising star also posts photos of herself posing near world landmarks, such as the London Eye and the Eiffel Tower, in places she gets to visit on tour.
Despite being a private and low-key player, she has been court up in controversy during this year’s competition.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February Russian tennis players were banned from entering this year’s Wimbledon Championships.
But having represented Kazakhstan since 2018, the 23-year-old is proud of her heritage.
In an Instagram post last September Rybakina smiled while holding up the flag of Kazakhstan.
She wrote: ‘For the first time the WTA 250 tournament will take place in Kazakhstan in a couple of weeks!
‘I am very happy about this event and would like to say a big thank you [to the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation].’
She added hosting the tournament was a great opportunity for the ‘development of tennis in the country’.
Responding to questions at a press conference on Thursday the World No. 23 would not reveal how much time she spends in Moscow.
However she said she primarily trains for tournaments in Slovakia and Dubai.
‘I don’t live anywhere, to be honest,’ she said.
Since then, she has tried to navigate difficult questions over whether she sees herself as Russian – of as Kazakh.
Ahead of the final, she said: ‘It’s a tough question to say what I feel.
‘I was born in Russia, but I am really happy that I’m representing Kazakhstan. They were looking for a player and I was looking for help.
‘I’m feeling the support of the people because I’m bringing results which are very good for the sport in Kazakhstan.’
Rybakina did admit she felt sorry for the Russians who were barred from competing at Wimbledon.
But when pressed on her thoughts on the country’s invasion of Ukraine, she said: ‘I just want the war to end as soon as possible.’
As she prepares to take on World No. 2 Ons Jabeur Rybakina will have enjoyed her best Grand Slam performance ever at this year’s Wimbledon Championships.
She is also Kazakhstan’s first ever finalist in a Grand Slam tournament.
The rising star stunned crowds on Centre Court on Thursday as she beat World No 1 Simona Halep, from Romania
Halep and Rybakina shook hands at the net after the underdog pulled off a sensational win to secure her place in the Wimbledon final
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