“When I was younger, I was always watching him play,” Elena Rybakina is an avid fan of Swiss Maestro Roger Federer and she has expressed this sentiment time and again. She grew up watching the Swiss maestro play. While she’s got a lot to achieve in her career, Rybakina still has one major wish she wants to fulfill at any cost. Not to mention that it involves Federer, her idol.

After going through a phase filled with lots of stress, Elena Rybakina is back to playing tennis on a competitive level. She made her comeback at the WTA Finals. Before that, her last appearance was in the US Open, back in September, where she couldn’t get past the second round. Since then, a lot has been anticipated about the 2022 Wimbledon winner. Especially, regarding the situation of her coach. After splitting with Stefanov Vukov in August, Rybakina stunned everyone when she announced a new partnership with none other than Novak Djokovic’s ex-coach Goran Ivanisevic.

Under Goran’s tutelage, she entered the WTA Finals last week. Unfortunately, her stint in Riyadh didn’t turn out as expected. She lost two of her group-stage encounters. On a positive note, however, she ended her campaign with a confidence-boosting win over World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka in her last match in which Elena won 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

As of now, she’s enjoying her break ahead of a busy season in 2025. Recently, Elena appeared in an interview with SauBall Sports Channel, in which she talked about various aspects of her career and personal life. Well, the discussion took an interesting turn when the host brought up Roger Federer’s name. He wanted to ask Elena about her dream wish of playing alongside the Rog one day. When asked if she’s still thinking about it, Rybakina confessed, “Yes, if I had the opportunity to play with him, I would be very happy. I see that he still travels and attends many tournaments, so perhaps something like that could happen in the future. It’s definitely one of those mini-dreams, something I’d love to experience.”

Earlier this year, Rybakina had expressed her immense admiration for Federer in another interview. Talking to the Tennis Actu TV YouTube channel, back in June, she revealed that she was highly inspired by him while growing up. Not to mention that the Kazakhstani player was overwhelmed after seeing Roger in the stands when she won her first-ever slam at Wimbledon two years ago.

When Elena Rybakina couldn’t hide her emotions for Roger Federer at the Wimbledon

Back in 2022, Elena succeeded in clinching her maiden Majors trophy. In the Wimbledon final, she defeated America’s Shelby Rogers 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 after trailing in the first set. While the victory was already special, the cherry on top was Federer’s presence in the Centre Court crowd. Despite being a confident champion, Rybakina got nervous after witnessing her idol in front of her eyes. “Maybe that [Federer’s presence] is why I was nervous because, actually, I really like Roger. When I was younger, I was always watching him play,” the Kazakh said in an interview with Actu TV channel.

When asked about who’s the one tennis legend, among male and female players, she wants to be like, Rybakina named Roger Federer without any hesitation. “The idol was for me, like, & still Roger Federer. From the woman’s side, I would say that I like just to watch. If I had the chance, like different players. I won’t say from the women’s I had like an idol,” she said.

It will be intriguing to see when Rybakina’s dream of playing with her idol comes to fruition. Her fans, in the meantime, will hope for Rybakina to make a solid return next year. Do you think she will make her presence felt in the next season with a lasting impression? Let us know in the comments below.