Google News
World No. 23 Elena Rybakina is enjoying her best-ever Wimbledon run and she believes arriving to the tournament relaxed and without much pressure is one of the main reasons behind her strong run at The Championships. The 2022 season hasn't really been easy for Rybakina, having battled COVID and allergies this year.
Leading up to Wimbledon, Rybakina suffered a round-of-16 loss in 's-Hertogenbosch and then lost her opener in Eastbourne. Rybakina arrived to Wimbledon with a 1-2 record on grass but now she has been through to the Wimbledon quarterfinal after winning four matches in straight sets.
On Monday, Rybakina saw off Petra Martic 7-5 6-3 to set up an Ajla Tomljanovic quarterfinal.
Rybakina: I arrived relaxed and I'm still relaxed
"This year I would say that I didn't start well. I was not so confident because I didn't have good preparation.
I was injured, got sick in Paris, and I couldn't recover," Rybakina said, per the WTA website. "[But] maybe also something help me bit. I was more relaxed. I'm still more relaxed, enjoying my time here. Yes, I knew that the preparation is not the greatest.
I was not feeling well the other months. I was suffering from the allergies, Covid earlier this year. It just kept on happening some issues. So now I'm just happy that no matter how I play, maybe it's not the best, best shape physically, shots-wise, but overall I'm just happy that I'm managing to win these close matches." Rybakina, who is 6 ft 0 in, says she is keeping it simple as long ago she figured out what should be her style of play.
"I never compared myself with anyone. I just know that I have this gift. I'm tall and I play really fast. It's effortless, I would say. It's not something I'm working in the gym or something. This is my weapon, and I'm just trying to use it as much as I can," Rybakina said of her style of play.
Rybakina and Tomljanovic are set to meet for the second time as the Kazakh defeated the Australian in Madrid last year.