‘I’m Still in Pain’ – Tussling Her Way Through Miami Open, Elena Rybakina Gets Real About Her Physical Turmoil

Elena Rybakina returned to the Miami Open after she withdrew from the Indian Wells Masters due to sickness. The Kazakhstani player is beating opponents left and right in the second half of the Sunshine Doubles, even though she recently recovered. However, playing in Miami is not proving to be an easy task for the 2022 Wimbledon champion.

Rybakina recently beat her third opponent in the Miami Open and sat down with Tennis Channel to discuss the state of her fitness. As per her, she is still facing difficulties during matches as she has not played for a while. She told Prakash Amritraj, “Yeah, unfortunately, it was long. It was like eight days without anything. And then I had nothing. No, honestly, no fitness, no tennis. So it was tough to come back.”

She further added: “I’m still in pain after all these matches, but I feel I’m feeling better, and hopefully, this extra day, which we have in between, helps. So, yeah, we see how it’s going to be in the next one.”

During the BNP Paribas Open, Rybakina had to withdraw because of physical sickness. It took her more than a week to recover, which meant no fitness or tennis training for a long time. As it is evident from her comment, recovering has taken a toll on her physical ability.

Despite the struggles she is facing, the 2023 Miami Open finalist is showing good form against her opponents so far. She displayed it in her match against Madison Keys and the prior clashes as well, but one can see her struggle as well.

Elena Rybakina’s stint in the Miami Open

The world number 4 started the Miami Open with a three-set clash against Clara Tauson. Her fans were worried as she went on to lose the first set against the Danish player. However, she fought hard in the second set to win the clash but found it a little easier to close out her third set. The match ended with 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, in the favor of Rybakina.

In the second round, she played against Taylor Townsend and had luck favor her in the first set. The second set was much more difficult as it was pushed to a tie-breaker, which Townsend took home. Rybakina would find an easier time in the third set to close out the clash 6-3, 6-7, 6-4.

Rybakina achieved her first straight-set victory against Keys. She would manage to win the bout 6-3, 7-5, showing she was pushed a bit in the second set. She will now play against Maria Sakkari, hoping for another two-set victory.

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