Elena Rybakina made history when she won her maiden Wimbledon title in 2022. But the Kazakh star’s win was overshadowed by questions raised over her allegiance to Russia, the country of her birth, during the latter’s invasion of Ukraine. After being under constant scrutiny with even tennis legend John McEnroe questioning her participation, Russian tennis authorities added fuel to the fire and it didn’t sit well with her father, Andrei Rybakina.

Elena’s win over Ons Jabeur meant she became the youngest women’s Wimbledon champion since Petra Kvitova in 2011. She won the final 3-6, 6-2,6-2 in under two hours. Such a monumental feat deserved to be celebrated, but it was surrounded by controversy. In the lead-up to the final, Rybakina was constantly questioned over her Russian roots, and following her win the Russian Tennis Federation claimed her as their “product.”

The president of the Russian Tennis Federation, Shamil Tarpishchev, claimed, “It’s the Russian school, after all. She played here with us for a long time, and then in Kazakhstan,” Tarpishchev told sports website Champion, according to Associated Press.

Andrei Rybakina did not let the comments just slide by, claiming that Russian tennis bosses were now regretting their poor negotiations with the family. “I think that people who depended on something and who could help, are now a little sorry,” Andrei told Sport Express Russia. “I had certain exits, and if I had shown more enthusiasm in this direction, something with the help of the Russian Tennis Federation might have come out. But I did not take advantage of these opportunities.”

Born in Moscow, Elena was around 19 years old when she decided she no longer wanted to represent Russia but Kazakhstan (in 2018). The lack of funding and support from the Russian government at the time fueled her family’s decision in this regard.

According to Andrei the contract offer that they made to her daughter was not good enough. As a result, they had no choice but to weigh their alternative options, later siding with Kazakhstan.

He said, “At some point, the federation sent me a contract for Lena. But I looked at him and felt sad. The essence of the contract is expressed in the well-known catchphrase: ‘There is no money, but you hold on.’ Honestly, I would be ashamed to send such a contract.” He also hit out the Russian Tennis Federation’s approach.

“And the approach itself is ‘our product. Another would say ‘biomass’. “Unfortunately, we have such an approach to individuals,” he concluded.

The former World No. 3 had a fantastic run at Wimbledon two years ago, but it was marred by questions regarding her ties with Russia. Even American tennis icon John McEnroe called her participation into question following the All England Club’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players because of the Ukraine invasion.

During the final, he said, “I just think it’s weird because of this whole thing. I don’t mean to get into politics here but she is Russian, right? It is sort of strange because of this whole ordeal of not allowing the Russians to play.” Immediately after her Wimbledon victory in 2022, Rybakina was forced to shut down questions around the topic.

Following her return home, she met with the president and publicly displayed her Kazakh passport to dispel any rumors of ongoing ties to Russia. “I can only say that I’m representing Kazakhstan. I didn’t choose where I was born,” she said. “I’m playing for Kazakhstan very, very long time…People believed in me. Kazakhstan supported me so much…So I don’t know how to answer these questions.”

Nevertheless, two years have passed since then, and Rybakina is now again on a mission to replicate that victory on the same ground this season. However, surprisingly, she doesn’t want to think of her previous triumph while playing!

Rybakina expressed her desire to win the Wimbledon title once again!

Last year, Rybakina’s Grand Slam hunt at Wimbledon received a break in the quarterfinals against Jabeur, the same player she overpowered in the 2022 final. But, this season, she is back to take her revenge as she is just three steps away from her goal this year. Fans might be wondering what is going on in her head while playing on a court where she has shown her best tennis.

According to Rybakina, she does not have her victories in mind while playing. “I don’t really think about this when I go on the court. Of course, it gives more confidence, but no matter what, there are still a lot of good players.” Maybe it’s her humility, along with her remarkable talent, that makes her a favorite at Wimbledon. However, referring to that, she also added, “It feels good if people think so, but it’s still far to go to the final. There are a lot of matches in front of me. Definitely, I want to go far and try to win.”

Indeed, Elena Rybakina has a lot of hurdles ahead of her, with Elina Svitolina next on that list. As the Kazakhstani No. 1 player proceeds in her journey this season, hopefully, all the chatter will be out her on-court performances and not about her national allegiances.