Elena Rybakina did not have the Wimbledon that many expected her to.
Rybakina won the Australian Open earlier this year, which was her second Grand Slam title after Wimbledon in 2022.
The Kazakhstani won another title on clay, but Rybakina suffered a shock second round loss at Roland Garros.
Despite this many expected Rybakina to return to form at Wimbledon, but that was certainly not the case.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova admits Elena Rybakina’s Wimbledon was ‘strange’
Someone who knows Rybakina well is former Roland Garros finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who she has played doubles with on multiple occasions.
After Rybakina lost to Elise Mertens in the third round of Wimbledon this year, Pavlyuchenkova has admitted she felt disappointed in the world number two.
Pavlyuchenkova particularly highlighted the missed opportunity for Rybakina to overtake Aryna Sabalenka as world number one.
Who wins more Grand Slams in their career – Elena Rybakina or Aryna Sabalenka?
“I’m very disappointed that Rybakina loses relatively early in Slams,” Pavlyuchenkova told Tennis Bolshe.
“Because she’s world number two and she has a real chance to become number one for the first time, the gap is small.
“Maybe that also puts pressure on her, because I think at Roland Garros all she needed was to win a couple of matches and she couldn’t. Maybe clay isn’t her surface, but grass, that was strange.”
When can Elena Rybakina become world number one?
Despite Rybakina’s disappointment at Wimbledon, she still has an opportunity to overtake Sabalenka as world number one this year.
This could even be as soon as the Canadian Open, which is the next tournament on Rybakina’s schedule.
Rybakina knows that she is currently forecast to have more ranking points after the US Open than Sabalenka, who is the two-time defending champion in New York.
| Battle for world number one on the WTA Tour | Aryna Sabalenka | Elena Rybakina |
| Current ranking total | 8,550 | 8,143 |
| Points defending during and up to the US Open | 2,215 | 1,215 |
| Confirmed ranking points after the US Open | 6,335 | 6,928 |
However, the US Open is by far Rybakina’s worst Grand Slam tournament, with just a 57% win-loss record.
Rybakina achieved her best result at the US Open last year by reaching the fourth round, but she will likely need to do better than that if she is to be the world number one.
Before the next Grand Slam tournament, Rybakina is scheduled to compete at both the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open, alongside Sabalenka.
