History of Elena Rybakina in Timeline

Elena Rybakina is a Kazakhstani professional tennis player, originally from Russia. She achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 3, becoming the first Kazakhstani player to break into the top 10. Rybakina made history as the first player from Kazakhstan to win a Grand Slam title, claiming the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. To date, she has secured nine 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 top player in women's tennis.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

June 1999: Elena Rybakina's Birth

In June 1999, Elena Andreyevna Rybakina was born. She is a Russian-born Kazakhstani professional tennis player.

June 1999: Elena Rybakina's Birth and Early Life

On 17 June 1999, Elena Rybakina was born in Moscow to Andrey Rybakin and Ekaterina. She began playing sports with her older sister, Anna, focusing on gymnastics and ice skating before switching to tennis at age six.

2011: Petra Kvitová's Wimbledon Victory

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

November 2013: ITF Junior Circuit Debut

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

December 2014: ITF Women's Circuit Debut

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

2015: Garbiñe Muguruza Reaches Wimbledon Final

In 2015, Garbiñe Muguruza reached the Wimbledon final.

2015: Grade-1 Final at Belgian International Junior Championships

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

2016: Junior Grand Slam and Grade-A Doubles Final

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

October 2017: 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: Final Junior Year with Grade-A Title and Grand Slam Semifinals

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

February 2018: First WTA Tour Match Win and Upset Victory

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

June 2018: Federation Switch to Kazakhstan

In June 2018, Elena Rybakina, who was born and playing as a Russian, switched federations to Kazakhstan, after entering the world's top 200.

2018: Hiring Andrei Chesnokov as Private Coach

In 2018, at the age of 18, Elena Rybakina hired Andrei Chesnokov, whom she had already trained with at Spartak Tennis Club, to be her private coach. This was the first time she had an individual coach.

2018: Grand Slam Qualifying Draw at US Open

In 2018, playing for Kazakhstan, Elena Rybakina entered her first Grand Slam qualifying draw at the US Open but 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. With Vukov as her first traveling coach, Rybakina rapidly improved, rising from just inside the top 200 of the WTA rankings into the top 30 in about a year.

September 2019: Three-Set Match Excellence

From September 2019, early in her WTA career, Elena Rybakina excelled at three-set matches, winning 13 out of 14 through February 2020.

2019: First WTA Tour Title and Top 100 Debut

In 2019, Elena Rybakina achieved consistent success on the WTA Tour, winning her first tour title at the Bucharest Open and debuting in the top 100 rankings.

2019: Grand Slam Debut and First WTA Title

In 2019, Elena 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.

2019: Start of Rivalry with Aryna Sabalenka

Since 2019, Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka have faced each other ten times, with Sabalenka leading their head-to-head 6–4. Both players are known for their aggressive baseline play, resulting in fast-paced and intense matches.

February 2020: Three-Set Match Excellence

Through February 2020, early in her WTA career, Elena Rybakina excelled at three-set matches, winning 13 out of 14 since September 2019.

2020: Endorsement by Adidas

From the start of 2020, Elena Rybakina was endorsed by Adidas, prior to being sponsored by Yonex. She was also endorsed by Nike.

2020: Breakthrough Season with Five Finals

In 2020, Elena Rybakina had a breakthrough season, leading the WTA Tour with five finals appearances.

2020: WTA Tour Finals Leader

In 2020, Elena Rybakina led the WTA Tour in finals appearances, reaching four of her first five events. She reached the final of every tournament except for the Australian Open and the Qatar Ladies Open, losing to Ashleigh Barty in both instances. She won her second WTA title at the Hobart International.

November 2021: Top 15 Debut

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: French Open Quarterfinals

In 2021, Elena Rybakina reached the quarterfinals of the French Open in both singles and doubles.

January 2022: Adelaide International Final and Career-High Ranking

In January 2022, Rybakina reached the final at the Adelaide International 1 and achieved a career-high ranking of No. 12.

2022: Wimbledon Triumph and Subsequent Discourse

In 2022, Elena Rybakina won the Wimbledon Championships, becoming the youngest woman champion since 2011. Her Russian nationality became a topic of public discussion due to the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes.

2022: Wimbledon Championships Victory

In 2022, Elena Rybakina won the Wimbledon Championships, marking the first major title for a player from Kazakhstan.

2022: Defeating Danielle Collins

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

January 2023: Australian Open Final and Top 10 Ranking

In January 2023, Elena Rybakina reached the Australian Open final, losing to Aryna Sabalenka, and entered the top 10, becoming the first player representing Kazakhstan to achieve this milestone.

January 2023: Cooperation with Bank RBK

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

March 2023: Donation to Female Tennis Players in Kazakhstan

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, following the Miami Open final and early exits at Stuttgart and Madrid, Elena Rybakina reached a career-high of world No. 6 on May 8, 2023. She then reached the quarterfinals at the Italian Open and achieved a new career-high ranking of world No. 5 after wins over Jasmine Paolini, Anna Kalinskaya, and Markéta Vondroušová.

June 2023: French Open and World Ranking

In June 2023, despite withdrawing from the French Open due to a respiratory illness in the third round, Elena Rybakina reached No. 3 in the world rankings on June 12, 2023. On June 26, 2023, she also announced her withdrawal from the Eastbourne International event due to a viral illness.

2023: Australian Open Final, WTA 1000 Titles, and World No. 3 Ranking

In 2023, Elena Rybakina reached the Australian Open final, won two WTA 1000 titles, and achieved a world No. 3 ranking.

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: Indian Wells Title

In 2023, Elena Rybakina won her first WTA 1000 title at Indian Wells, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final, and reached a career-high ranking of world No. 7.

2023: Sponsorship by Yonex

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

April 2024: Final Since April 2024

In April 2024, at the Internationaux de Strasbourg, Rybakina defeated Wang Xinyu, Magda Linette, and No. 9 seed Beatriz Haddad Maia to reach her first final since April 2024.

November 2024: Hiring 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 Second-Round Exit

In 2024, Elena Rybakina started her season by winning the Brisbane International final against Aryna Sabalenka. Later in 2024, she exited in the second round at the Australian Open to Anna Blinkova in a match that featured the longest tie-break in Grand Slam history.

2024: French Open Quarterfinals Loss to Jasmine Paolini

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 with Aryna Sabalenka

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

January 2025: Rehiring of Vukov and Subsequent Suspension

In January 2025, Elena Rybakina rehired Stefano Vukov as an additional coach. He was subsequently suspended by the WTA under a code of conduct investigation, and later banned for 12 months.

2025: Coaching Split with Goran Ivanišević

In 2025, Elena Rybakina and Goran Ivanišević parted ways after her Australian Open exit.

2025: United Cup and Australian Open Participation

In 2025, Elena Rybakina began her season at the United Cup. She then played in the Australian Open, before losing to eventual champion Madison Keys in the fourth round.

2025: Dubai Tennis Championships and Indian Wells Performance

In 2025, at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Elena Rybakina reached back-to-back-to-back tour-level quarterfinals. At Indian Wells in 2025, she defeated Suzan Lamens and Katie Boulter before losing to Andreeva in the fourth round. Rybakina entered the 2025 Miami Open seeded seventh, and lost to Ashlyn Krueger in the second round. Defending 500 points from her win in Stuttgart the previous year, she instead opted to play in the qualifiers for the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup and dropped to No. 11 in the rankings.

2025: Madrid and Italian Open and Strasbourg Title

In 2025, at the Madrid Open, Elena Rybakina defeated Bianca Andreescu before losing to Elina Svitolina. At the 2025 Italian Open, she defeated Eva Lys before losing to Andreescu. As a last minute entry into the Internationaux de Strasbourg, Rybakina defeated Wang Xinyu, Magda Linette, and Beatriz Haddad Maia to reach her first final since April 2024, and subsequently defeated Liudmila Samsonova to capture her first title in over a year. Rybakina then reached the fourth round of the 2025 French Open, before losing to Iga Świątek.