The summer sun shined brightly over Melbourne, but Kazakhstni athlete Elena Rybakina‘s fire dimmed for a moment. “I want to have fun,” she had said earlier, brushing off expectations at the 2024 WTA Finals. Yet, the WTA number 7 fought quite hard. Her motivation? “Just fight, have fun.” But that indomitable fighting spirit faced its greatest challenge in the Australian Open third round today. With the Happy Slam looming in its fullest, Rybakina’s simple goal of staying “healthy, yeah, be ready for pre-season” felt fragile. As another injury concern clouded her path for a moment, Rybakina leaves a big question : will she push through the odds, or will the Melbourne heat burn her dreams into ashes?

Elena Rybakina played her 2025 Australian Open‘s second round against Ukraine’s Dayana Yastremska. The Kazakh overpowered her Ukrainian opponent in two straight sets by 6-3 and 6-4. After 2024 WTA Tour Finals, this was Rybakina’s first tournament in the new season and she played quite well leaving the fans impressed.  However, as the Kazakhstani player led the first set by 2-1, an injury concern brought clouds of tension.

The official account of The Tennis Letter shared this information on X, “Elena Rybakina is being seen by the physio as she looks to be dealing with a back issue during her match against Yastremska at the Australian Open.” They also shared an image where Rybakina’s new coach Goran Iavnisevic appeared concerned about the WTA star’s fitness at the moment.

However, Rybakina returned like a warrior and advanced to the Slam’s fourth round which is scheduled tomorrow. Although she fought brilliantly, her health concerns haven’t left her followers at ease!

The Kazakhstani player had an injury-plagued last season. She suffered from gastronomical issues throughout the first half of 2024 and withdrew from the prestigious Indian Wells tournament. She also pulled out from the Italian Open due to an unknown sickness. Her lower back injury dismantled her hope at last year’s Flushing Meadows along with her Asian Swing plans.

However, injuries are not the only concern for the Kazakh player. There is more to that. In the pre-event press conference of the 2025 Australian Open, she opened up about her physical challenges highlighting her struggles to keep up with her form. So, what happened to her?

Elena Rybakina opened up about how the demands of the tour impacted here “whole immune system”

In that press conference, Rybakina had an interesting confession. Reflecting on her time off the court for three months, she opened up about how “it’s not easy” for a player to function normally when they are used to traveling every week. She also highlighted her difficulties about making, “decision also to not play, not to push yourself,” when there is a “competition.”  Rybakina added, “For me the whole year was pretty difficult. Coming back from Melbourne, like the issues with sleep started. It’s been going on for a long time. So of course it was not easy.”

She then delved deeper about her challenges with insomnia and how it affected her immune system. “As I said, when my insomnia started, the whole immune system went down. I kept on pushing. Maybe I should have take the rest a little bit earlier. For five or six years I’m on tour, I’m playing non-stop. Even in off-season we have maybe one or two weeks. I was struggling during Wimbledon. After that I had only four days and I got sick again,” Rybakina revealed. Her words highlighted her dedication to return to the sport she loves passionately.

Elena Rybakina’s determination and indomitable spirit have taken her this far showing her true potential to the fraternity. Although she might be facing some health-related setbacks, she doesn’t seem to give up her hope for the Melbourne Major title. With a fierce spirit in her eyes, Rybakina leaves the fraternity intrigued- can she get back on track and prove that she is a phoenix rising from her ashes? The answer lies in her upcoming performances!