Elena Rybakina became world number one at the US Open, but hasn’t played an event since.
The Kazakhstani star was scheduled to appear at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, but Rybakina withdrew to recover from an injury she sustained before the US Open in Cincinnati.
Making her first appearance on court as the world number one, Rybakina will compete as the top seed at the China Open in Beijing. Ahead of her opening match, the 27-year-old issued a fitness update.
Elena Rybakina says it’s been a ‘very difficult’ couple of weeks with her allergies
During her pre-tournament press conference, Rybakina first addressed the injury she picked up in Cincinnati after she was seen training without any protective equipment. She also commented on her allergies, which have flared up since winning the US Open.
“Since I was resting, my foot was a bit better. Now I’m back on the court; I still feel it here and there. Again, I try to push myself and see how far I can go in this tournament. Mentally, I think that now I’m better. It’s been a lot of things after the US Open, definitely. Yeah, I’m ready,” she said.
“I think everyone can notice it’s been a very difficult, intense couple of weeks, that my face can show it with allergies and all the things that are happening to me all the time.”
Rybakina was then asked if her mindset had changed since taking the world number one ranking from Aryna Sabalenka at the US Open, as she prepares for her first-round match in China.
Official WTA Rankings
- 1. Elena Rybakina – 9,901 points
- 2. Aryna Sabalenka – 7,810 points
- 3. Jessica Pegula – 7,265 points
- 4. Coco Gauff – 7,244 points
- 5. Mirra Andreeva – 5,841 points
“I have no idea. I just came number one. I feel like the most important thing is to enjoy. It’s not always easy. For that, I have people around me. Sometimes I can be down or up. It’s important to enjoy,” she said.
“I think today was the first practice where I would say, okay, I feel a bit my foot. It was not maybe the greatest feeling that you have some physical issues. I really enjoy the practice. I think that’s the most important. I love to compete. I don’t know how the number one should be. I don’t know.”
Rybakina will play her first match as world number one on Saturday, October 3, against Russia’s Alina Charaeva. Only time will tell if she can emerge victorious, but how did the last five world number ones perform in their first matches at the top of the rankings?
Naomi Osaka was the last player to lose their first match as world number one
Aryna Sabalenka
- Became world number one – September 11, 2023
- First match – 2023 China Open second round vs Sofia Kenin
- Result – WIN (6-1, 6-2)
Iga Swiatek
- Became world number one – April 4, 2022
- First match – 2022 Billie Jean King Cup qualifier vs Mihaela Buzarnescu
- Result – WIN (6-1, 6-0)
Ashleigh Barty
- Became world number one – June 24, 2019
- First match – 2019 Wimbledon first round vs Saisai Zheng
- Result – WIN (6-4, 6-2)
Naomi Osaka
- Became world number one – January 28, 2019
- First match – 2019 Dubai Tennis Championships second round vs Kristina Mladenovic
- Result – LOSS (3-6, 3-6)
Simona Halep
- Became world number one – October 9, 2017
- First match – 2017 WTA Finals round robin vs Caroline Garcia
- Result – WIN (6-4, 6-2)
Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Ashleigh Barty, and Simona Halep, all won the first matches they played as world number one. Naomi Osaka, on the other hand, fell short, losing to Kristina Mladenovic in Dubai. Rybakina will be keen to avoid the same fate as the Japanese star.
Add to Preferred Sources 