Although Elena Rybakina’s current focus is on the French Open, her dream tournament lies elsewhere. Growing up idolizing the Swiss maestro, Roger Federer, she has not only been influenced by his on-court skills but also by the court, where Federer has achieved 8 overall titles, making an all-time record! Therefore, her eyes are set on a particular tournament, which she considers the “biggest” stage of playing tennis.

Overcoming her back injuries and illness, Elena Rybakina is finally back with her ‘A’ game on-court. The world No. 4 has already swept past Elina Svitolina to reach the quarterfinals at Roland Garros. But before she embarks on her next goal, the Stuttgart Open champion appeared for a post-match interview, a clip of which was released by the YouTube channel, Tennis Actu TV. In the last segment of the video, the reporter asked, “Of all the big stages, if you could  just play on one stage, what stage would that be?”

Elena Rybakina responded by saying, “I mean probably Wimbledon. I mean is the biggest achievement. I think any Grand Slam is amazing when the stadium is packed. But of course, Wimbledon is something in my memories as a dream as a kid, so.”

The 24-year-old player indeed has a special connection with Wimbledon. After all, this is the same place where she won the biggest title of her career: 2022 Wimbledon. Not only that, but she also became the only player from Kazakhstan to win a major tournament title. This also pushed her to become the number one Kazakhstani player, a position that she still embraces to this day.

In a thrilling comeback victory, third-seeded Elena Rybakina rallied from a set down to defeat American Shelby Rogers 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. Despite facing a slow start under the watchful eyes of royalty (the Princess of Wales) and a tennis legend (Roger Federer) in the Centre Court crowd, Rybakina found her rhythm to claim victory in one hour and 43 minutes, kicking off her Wimbledon title defense campaign on a high note.

However, apart from the glory of success, she also expressed how Federer’s presence that day made it even more special for her. “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,” she further added. Earlier this year, she also spoke more about her “idol” in tennis.

Elena Rybakina expresses her appreciation for her idol, Roger Federer

Elena Rybakina, who started her season by winning the Brisbane International, was vying for her second grand slam in the Australian Open. Sadly, her reign came to an end in the second round after Anna Blinkova defeated her. However, the former World No. 3, Rybakina, who was born in Russia, is steadily making a mark in the tennis world.

But when asked about whether she wants to follow in the footsteps of the Russian-born former WTA player Maria Sharapova, Rybakina had an intriguing answer. “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 woman’s I had like an idol.” 

Elena Rybakina, who has eight singles titles to her name, is growing stronger on-court day by day.  And although her favorite tournament is Wimbledon, the tennis world would love to see her incredible feat at the French Open as well, as she goes on to beat Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals!