Elena Rybakina is a professional tennis player who represents Kazakhstan. She is the highest-ranked Kazakhstani player in history, having reached a career-high ranking of world No. 3. Rybakina made history by becoming the first Kazakhstani player to win a Grand Slam singles title at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. She has also won two WTA 1000 titles, among her eight career titles.
1991: Monica Seles's Impressive Season
Monica Seles had a remarkable year in 1991, reaching the finals of the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami Open, and the Rome Masters.
June 1999: Elena Rybakina's Introduction to Tennis
Born in June 1999, Elena Rybakina's journey into the world of tennis began at the age of six, encouraged by her father's passion for the sport, after dabbling in gymnastics and ice skating.
June 1999: Birth of Elena Rybakina
Elena Rybakina was born in June 1999.
2011: Youngest Wimbledon Champion
Petra Kvitová, at 21 years old, became the youngest woman to win Wimbledon in 2011.
2012: Maria Sharapova's Successful Run
Maria Sharapova achieved a significant feat in 2012 by reaching the finals of the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami Open, and the Rome Masters.
November 2013: Rybakina's Junior Circuit Debut
Elena Rybakina embarked on her journey in the ITF Junior Circuit in November 2013 at the age of fourteen, marking the beginning of her competitive tennis career.
December 2014: Rybakina's Entry into Professional Tennis
Elena Rybakina took her first steps in professional tennis in December 2014, participating in the ITF Women's Circuit at the age of fifteen, while simultaneously competing on the junior circuit.
2015: Wimbledon Finalist
In 2015, Garbiñe Muguruza reached the Wimbledon final.
2015: Rybakina's Early Success and First Grade-1 Final
In 2015, Rybakina began competing in Grade-1 events, culminating in her reaching the final at the Belgian International Junior Championships, showcasing her growing prowess on the court.
2016: Rybakina's Junior Grand Slam Debut and Doubles Success
The year 2016 saw Elena Rybakina making her debut in a junior Grand Slam at the US Open and achieving notable success in doubles, finishing as runner-up at the Trofeo Bonfiglio alongside Amina Anshba.
October 2017: Rybakina's WTA Tour Debut
In October 2017, Elena Rybakina made her debut on the WTA Tour at the Kremlin Cup, successfully qualifying for the main draw, marking a significant step in her professional career.
2017: Rybakina Wins Junior Title at Trofeo Bonfiglio
Elena Rybakina clinched the Grade-A title at the Trofeo Bonfiglio in 2017, a significant achievement in her junior career.
2017: Rybakina's Breakthrough and Final Junior Season
2017 marked Elena Rybakina's final year on the junior tour, highlighted by her victory at the Trofeo Bonfiglio, defeating Iga Świątek, and her semifinal appearances at the Australian Open and French Open.
February 2018: Rybakina's First WTA Tour Victory and Breakthrough Performance
February 2018 witnessed Elena Rybakina secure her first WTA Tour victory at the St. Petersburg Trophy, followed by an impressive upset against world No. 7, Caroline Garcia, propelling her into the quarterfinals and significantly boosting her ranking.
June 2018: Rybakina Switches Federations to Kazakhstan
In June 2018, at the age of nineteen, Elena Rybakina made a significant decision to switch her tennis federation from Russia to Kazakhstan, enticed by the financial support offered by the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation.
June 2018: Rybakina Switches Federation to Kazakhstan
In a pivotal decision, Elena Rybakina changed her sports federation representation from Russia to Kazakhstan in June 2018.
2018: Rybakina Hires First Private Coach
At 18 years old, Elena Rybakina hired Andrei Chesnokov as her first private coach in 2018. Chesnokov, with whom she had previously trained at Spartak Tennis Club, was based in Moscow and did not travel with her to tournaments.
2018: Rybakina's Grand Slam Qualifying Debut
Representing Kazakhstan, Elena Rybakina participated in her first Grand Slam qualifying round at the 2018 US Open, although she did not advance to the main draw.
February 2019: Rybakina Switches to Coach Stefano Vukov
In February 2019, Elena Rybakina began working with Stefano Vukov, a Croatian former tennis player, as her new coach. Vukov became her first traveling coach, marking a turning point in her career.
September 2019: Start of Three-Set Match Dominance
Elena Rybakina began a streak of winning 13 out of 14 three-set matches in September 2019, a testament to her resilience and mental strength.
2019: Rybakina's Breakthrough Year
The second half of 2019 marked a turning point in Rybakina's career as she transitioned to playing primarily on the WTA Tour and achieved her first WTA Tour title at the Bucharest Open.
2019: Rybakina's Grand Slam Main Draw Debut and Maiden WTA Title
In 2019, Elena Rybakina made her debut in a Grand Slam main draw at the French Open and achieved a significant career milestone by winning her maiden WTA Tour title at the Bucharest Open, shortly after her twentieth birthday.
February 2020: End of Three-Set Match Dominance
Elena Rybakina's impressive run of winning three-set matches came to an end in February 2020, marking a point in her career where she consistently performed well in longer matches.
2020: Rybakina Signs Endorsement Deal with Adidas
Elena Rybakina secured an endorsement deal with Adidas at the start of 2020, further solidifying her presence in the professional tennis world.
2020: Rybakina Reaches Multiple Finals
Elena Rybakina's performance in 2020 saw her reaching a remarkable five finals, including the Australian Open and the Qatar Ladies Open, solidifying her position as a rising star in the tennis world.
2020: Rybakina's String of Finals and Rise in Rankings
Elena Rybakina's performance in 2020 was marked by reaching five finals, including a win at the Hobart International, and consistently challenging top-ranked players, leading to her breaking into the top 20 and becoming the highest-ranked Kazakhstani player in history.
November 2021: Highest Ranked Kazakhstani Player
Elena Rybakina achieved a historic milestone in November 2021 when she broke into the top 15 of the WTA rankings, securing the No. 14 spot. This accomplishment made her the highest-ranked Kazakhstani tennis player in history.
2021: French Open Quarterfinals
In 2021, Elena Rybakina reached the quarterfinals of the French Open in both singles and doubles. Notably, she defeated Serena Williams in the fourth round of the singles tournament but lost to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarterfinals, who was also her doubles partner.
January 2022: Career-High Ranking and Tournament Runs
Elena Rybakina started January 2022 strong, reaching the final of the Adelaide International 1 but losing to Ash Barty. She then defeated reigning US Open champion Emma Raducanu at the Sydney Tennis Classic before withdrawing due to injury. On January 17, 2022, she reached a career-high ranking of No. 12.
2022: Wimbledon Championship and Controversy
Elena Rybakina had a very notable year in 2022. At Wimbledon, she reached the quarterfinals by defeating opponents like Bianca Andreescu and Petra Martić. She then won her quarterfinal and semifinal matches, becoming the first Kazakhstani singles player to reach a Grand Slam semifinal. She won the final against Ons Jabeur, becoming the youngest Wimbledon champion since 2015. However, her win sparked controversy because Wimbledon had banned Russian and Belarusian athletes, and she was born in Russia, though she had represented Kazakhstan for several years.
2022: Elena Rybakina Wins Wimbledon
In 2022, Elena Rybakina achieved a significant milestone by winning the Wimbledon Championships, becoming the first player from Kazakhstan to do so.
2022: Danielle Collins in Australian Open
Danielle Collins competed in the final of the Australian Open in 2022.
January 2023: Australian Open Finalist and Top 10 Ranking
Elena Rybakina started 2023 by reaching the final of the Australian Open. Along the way, she defeated players like Iga Świątek, Danielle Collins, and Victoria Azarenka. She lost the final to Aryna Sabalenka but achieved a new career-high ranking of No. 10, becoming the first Kazakhstani player to break into the top 10.
January 2023: Rybakina Partners with Bank RBK
On January 24, 2023, Elena Rybakina announced a partnership with Bank RBK, a prominent financial institution.
March 2023: Rybakina Makes Generous Donation to Support Female Tennis Players
Demonstrating her commitment to the development of tennis, Elena Rybakina donated ₸35 million to support rising female tennis players in Kazakhstan in March 2023.
May 2023: Career-High Rankings and Tournament Successes
In May 2023, Elena Rybakina reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 6. She made it to the quarterfinals of the Italian Open, which moved her ranking to No. 5. She then defeated world No. 1 Iga Świątek for the third time in 2023, securing her place in the Rome semifinals. She won the Italian Open, her first WTA 1000 clay title, and reached a new career-high ranking of No. 4.
June 2023: French Open Setback and Withdrawal from Eastbourne
In June 2023, Elena Rybakina had to withdraw from the French Open in the third round due to illness but still reached a new career-high ranking of No. 3. Later in June, she also withdrew from the Eastbourne International due to a viral illness.
2023: Elena Rybakina's Success at Indian Wells and Italian Open
Elena Rybakina continued her winning streak in 2023, securing victories at the Indian Wells Open and the Italian Open, both WTA 1000 titles.
2023: WTA 1000 Champion and Career-High Ranking
Elena Rybakina had a successful run in several tournaments in 2023. She reached the quarterfinals in Abu Dhabi, the third round in Dubai, and then the semifinals at Indian Wells, where she defeated Iga Świątek for the second time in 2023. She won her first WTA 1000 title in Indian Wells, defeating Aryna Sabalenka. This win propelled her to a new career-high ranking of world No. 7.
2023: Rybakina Switches to Yonex for Clothing and Equipment
Elena Rybakina signed a sponsorship deal with Yonex in 2023, beginning to wear their clothing and shoes, notably at the French Open. She also began using a Yonex VCore 100 racket.
2024: Winning Start to 2024 Season
Elena Rybakina began her 2024 season by winning the Brisbane International against Aryna Sabalenka and followed it up by clinching the Abu Dhabi Open title after defeating Daria Kasatkina.
2024: Stuttgart Open Victory and Third Title of 2024
Elena Rybakina won her third title of 2024 at the Stuttgart Open, where she defeated Marta Kostyuk in the final. This victory came after she defeated two-time defending champion Iga Swiatek in the semifinals.