Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Elena Rybakina

Discover the career path of Elena Rybakina, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Elena Rybakina is a Kazakhstani professional tennis player, formerly representing Russia. She achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 3, the first Kazakhstani to break into the top 10. Rybakina made history by winning the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, becoming the first player from Kazakhstan to win a major title. She has secured eight WTA Tour-level singles titles, including two prestigious WTA 1000 victories at the 2023 Indian Wells Open and the 2023 Italian Open, solidifying her position as a leading figure in women's tennis.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

2011: Petra Kvitová Wimbledon Win

In 2011, Petra Kvitová won Wimbledon at the age of 21.

November 2013: Rybakina Begins Playing on ITF Junior Circuit

In November 2013, at the age of 14, Elena Rybakina began playing on the ITF Junior Circuit.

December 2014: Rybakina Begins Playing on ITF Women's Circuit

In December 2014, at the age of fifteen, Elena Rybakina began playing on the ITF Women's Circuit.

2015: Garbiñe Muguruza Wimbledon Final

In 2015, Garbiñe Muguruza reached the Wimbledon Final.

2015: Rybakina Reaches Final at Belgian International Junior Championships

In 2015, Rybakina reached the final at the Belgian International Junior Championships, losing to Katharina Hobgarski.

2016: Rybakina's Junior Grand Slam and Doubles Result

In 2016, Rybakina reached the third round of the US Open, her junior-major debut. She finished runner-up in doubles at the Trofeo Bonfiglio with Amina Anshba.

October 2017: Rybakina's WTA Tour Debut at Kremlin Cup

In October 2017, Rybakina made her WTA Tour debut at the Kremlin Cup, reaching the main draw through qualifying but losing in the opening round to Irina-Camelia Begu.

2017: Rybakina Wins Grade-A Title at Trofeo Bonfiglio

In 2017, Rybakina won her first and only Grade-A title at the Trofeo Bonfiglio, defeating Iga Świątek in the final. She also reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and the French Open in the junior tour.

February 2018: Rybakina Wins First WTA Tour Match and Upsets Caroline Garcia

In February 2018, Elena Rybakina won her first WTA Tour match at the St. Petersburg Trophy against Timea Bacsinszky. She then upset world No. 7, Caroline Garcia, in three sets. This quarterfinal appearance helped her rise significantly in the world rankings.

June 2018: Rybakina Switches Federation to Kazakhstan

In June 2018, Elena Rybakina switched federations from Russia to Kazakhstan, shortly after entering the world's top 200.

June 2018: Switch to Kazakhstani Federation

In June 2018, Elena Rybakina switched federations from Russian to Kazakhstani.

2018: Hired Andrei Chesnokov as Private Coach

In 2018, at the age of 18, Elena Rybakina hired Andrei Chesnokov, whom she had trained with at Spartak Tennis Club, to be her private coach.

2018: Rybakina Enters First Grand Slam Qualifying Draw

In 2018, playing for Kazakhstan, Elena Rybakina entered her first Grand Slam qualifying draw at the US Open, but she did not reach the main draw.

February 2019: Switch to Stefano Vukov as Coach

In February 2019, Elena Rybakina switched coaches to Stefano Vukov, a Croatian former tennis player. This marked the beginning of Vukov's role as her first travelling coach, leading to significant improvements in Rybakina's WTA ranking.

2019: First WTA Tour Title at Bucharest Open and Top 100 Debut

In 2019, Elena Rybakina experienced her first consistent success on the WTA Tour, which included her first tour title at the Bucharest Open and her debut in the top 100 rankings.

2019: Rybakina's Grand Slam Debut and First WTA Title

In 2019, Rybakina made her Grand Slam debut at the French Open and won her maiden WTA Tour title at the Bucharest Open, leading to her top 100 debut.

2020: Adidas Sponsorship

From the start of 2020, Elena Rybakina was endorsed by Adidas, later switching to Nike before her sponsorship with Yonex.

2020: Rybakina Leads WTA Tour in Finals and Reaches Top 20

In 2020, Elena Rybakina led the WTA Tour in finals and reached the top 20 in the world rankings, becoming the first Kazakhstani player to do so.

2020: Rybakina Leads Tour with Five Finals

In 2020, Elena Rybakina led the WTA Tour with five finals appearances, marking a breakthrough year in her career.

November 2021: Rybakina Enters Top 15, Highest Ranked Kazakhstani Player

In November 2021, Elena Rybakina made her debut in the top 15, at world No. 14, becoming the highest ranked Kazakhstani player in history.

2021: Rybakina Reaches French Open Quarterfinals in Singles and Doubles

In 2021, Rybakina reached the quarterfinals of the French Open in singles, defeating Serena Williams in the fourth round. She also reached the quarterfinals in doubles with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

January 2022: Rybakina Reaches Adelaide Final and Career-High Ranking

In January 2022, Rybakina reached the final at the Adelaide International 1, losing to Ash Barty. She also achieved a career-high ranking of No. 12 on January 17, 2022.

2022: Rybakina Wins Wimbledon Championships

In 2022, Elena Rybakina achieved a career highlight by winning the Wimbledon Championships.

2022: Defeats Danielle Collins in the third round

In 2022, at the Australian Open, Rybakina defeated 2022 finalist Danielle Collins again in the third round.

January 2023: Rybakina Reaches Australian Open Final and Enters Top 10

In January 2023, Elena Rybakina reached the Australian Open final and also reached the top 10 rankings for the first time, making her the first player from Kazakhstan to achieve this milestone.

January 2023: Cooperation with Bank RBK

On January 24, 2023, Elena Rybakina began to cooperate with Bank RBK.

March 2023: Donation to Kazakh Tennis Players

In March 2023, Elena Rybakina donated ₸35 million to rising female tennis players in Kazakhstan.

May 2023: Career-High Ranking and Italian Open Quarterfinals

In May 2023, Elena Rybakina reached a career-high of world No. 6 on May 8th and later reached the quarterfinals at the Italian Open, moving to world No. 5. She also defeated world No. 1, Iga Świątek, to reach her first Rome semifinal and WTA 1000 final, ultimately winning her first WTA 1000 clay title, propelling her to a career-high ranking of world No. 4 on May 22nd.

June 2023: Reaches No. 3 in the world rankings

In June 2023, despite a walkover at the French Open, Elena Rybakina reached No. 3 in the world rankings on June 12th. However, on June 26th, she withdrew from the Eastbourne International event due to a viral illness.

2023: Victory at Indian Wells Open

In 2023, Elena Rybakina secured a significant victory against Aryna Sabalenka at the Indian Wells Open, winning 7–6^(11), 6–4.

2023: Rybakina Wins First WTA 1000 Title at Indian Wells

In 2023, Elena Rybakina won her first WTA 1000 title at Indian Wells, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final. This victory pushed her singles ranking to a new career-high of world No. 7.

2023: Rybakina Claims Two WTA 1000 Titles

In 2023, Elena Rybakina won two WTA 1000 events, namely the Indian Wells Open and the Italian Open.

2023: Rybakina Reaches Australian Open Final and World No. 3 Ranking

In 2023, Elena Rybakina's season included reaching the Australian Open final, winning two WTA 1000 titles, and achieving a world No. 3 ranking.

2023: Yonex Sponsorship

Since the 2023 French Open, Elena Rybakina has been sponsored by Yonex for clothing and shoes. She uses a Yonex VCore 100 racket.

November 2024: Hired Goran Ivanišević as new coach

In November 2024, Elena Rybakina announced Goran Ivanišević as her new coach having split from Vukov after that year's US Open.

2024: Brisbane International Win and Australian Open Exit

In 2024, Elena Rybakina began her season by winning the Brisbane International final against Aryna Sabalenka. However, she faced an early second-round exit at the Australian Open, losing to Anna Blinkova in a match featuring the longest tie-break in Grand Slam history.

2024: Paolini's Win at French Open Quarterfinals

In 2024, Jasmine Paolini defeated Elena Rybakina 6–2, 7–6 at the French Open quarterfinals, marking her first win over a top-five player at a major and propelling her into her first Grand Slam semifinal.

2024: Madrid Open Encounter

In 2024, at the Madrid Open, Aryna Sabalenka came back from a set and a break down to win against Elena Rybakina 1–6, 7–5, 7–6^(5).

2025: Coaching Partnership Dissolved after Australian Open

Following her exit from the 2025 Australian Open, Elena Rybakina's coaching partnership with Goran Ivanišević came to an end.

2025: Dubai Tennis Championships and BNP Paribas Open Performance

In 2025, at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Elena Rybakina reached back-to-back-to-back tour-level quarterfinals, defeating world No. 10 Paula Badosa, and reached her second semifinal in the Middle East swing. At the 2025 BNP Paribas Open, she advanced to the fourth round. Rybakina lost in the second round of the 2025 Miami Open.