Elena Rybakina and the Shattered Glass of Wimbledon - Issue #8

The significance of Elena Rybakina’s historic Wimbledon victory is also a reflection of our society.

Written by Dove Sallow

Elena Rybakina, a 23 year old representing Kazakhstan, won Wimbledon earlier this year. She took the title in ruthless fashion, dropping just two sets in the process. So why does it still seem like she’s flying under the radar? Why is she not put on center court for the majority of her matches? Why do people forget she was one of the 3 women who won a grand slam in 2022? The answer is long, complicated, and unfortunately unfair.

Let’s start off by reminding everyone that Elena did not come through qualifying, nor did she appear out of nowhere to win her Wimbledon title. She has been one of the WTA tour’s most promising prospects for the last few years. She’s had a slow and steady climb up the rankings and reached the upper echelon of tennis without the backing of the Russian government (she was born in Moscow). In 2020, right before the pandemic hit, Elena made 4 finals in less than 2 months and was on the fast track to the top 10. She was actually set to reach a career-high ranking of number 5 in the world, but the rankings froze because of Covid. She had a difficult time finding her sparkling form again once the tour resumed.

Fast forward to Wimbledon 2022. Elena finds her form, does the unthinkable, and wins Wimbledon… but receives zero ranking points. Quite ridiculous isn’t it? Due to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and the All England Club (AELTC) banned Russian and Belarusian players from competing at Wimbledon. This was a highly controversial decision that drew quite a bit of criticism. The ATP and WTA did not agree with the decision, so their way of protecting their players was to not award any ranking points for the tournament. To be completely honest, I have a tough time understanding how this move protects any of their players. Marton Fucsovics, for example, expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision in an Instagram post. “No ranking points in Wimbledon and ranking points will drop from 2021. No chance to defend them. Are you serious ATP Tour??? From 60 I will drop to 130. Thank you!”

It’s impossible to not feel for him. He’s worked hard all year, doesn’t make mega millions, and his ranking dropped out of the top 100 (he will now have to go through qualifying to get into a grand slam main draw) for something he had no control over. Elena undoubtedly suffered most of all. And it shouldn’t be that way, right? Why should you suffer for winning Wimbledon? If Wimbledon had awarded points, she would’ve risen to number 7 in the world. That’s now two separate occasions that Elena was denied her rightful place in the top 10. She would’ve been a top seed in slams, received better draws, received better scheduling, etc.

To add insult to injury, Elena would’ve qualified for the WTA Finals. This is probably the most important thing that was taken from her when she won Wimbledon. Qualifying for the WTA Finals is a huge honor. But beyond the prestige, the tournament offers the greatest prize money in tennis (more than any grand slam), as well as valuable ranking points. In fact, even if Rybakina did not win the WTA Finals and only managed to reach the semifinals, she would’ve been almost guaranteed a spot in the top 10 for the next year. Look at Maria Sakkari and Paula Badosa - they haven’t had great years, but are still ranked 6 and 8 because of their WTA Finals semifinals ranking points that have yet to fall off. I have no doubt that Elena would’ve performed well at the WTA Finals - she seems to play her best against the very best in the world. But that’s not the point. She would currently be #3 in the race to Fort Worth (WTA Finals), and already qualified. It is her RIGHT to be there.

Let me start this paragraph by saying that the world is not a fair place. We don’t get to choose where we’re born any more than we get to choose our hair color. Elena is Moscow-born, but she has represented Kazakhstan since 2018. She did not change her citizenship in order to play Wimbledon. She received little to no support for her career. Russia said that the reason for this is because there were more promising players at the time. To simplify things, Elena represented the country that supported her and believed in her dreams. Somehow, during the craziness of Wimbledon, journalists who hardly knew how to pronounce her name were hounding her about her birthplace. News articles and stories were circulating that she changed her citizenship just to play in the tournament. Almost all of the press conference questions, apart from the press conference after she won the title, were centered around her Russian heritage. She handled the questions with elegance and class, but it was clear that she became exhausted with the fascination and repetitive nature of the journalists. “I didn’t choose where I was born,” she politely responded to one journalist.

Elena is a quiet girl who shows great respect to everyone she comes in contact with. On court, her demeanor is icy cool, but always classy. She doesn’t take unnecessary medical time-outs or participate in any gamesmanship. She’s never obnoxious and would never scream “Come on!” When her opponent makes an unforced error. She always gives a good handshake at the net. But just because she’s quiet doesn’t mean she doesn’t connect with fans. In fact, when she won Wimbledon, Twitter erupted with love and endearment at her subdued reaction. I have a hard time believing that she is simply being “forgotten” as a grand slam champion solely because of the ranking points debacle. The tournament was still talked about and viewed by a lot of people. There is an anti-Russian sentiment happening around the world right now. Putin’s war is an absolute disgrace and his nuclear terrorism should NEVER be supported. But to hate people simply because they have Russian heritage is simply not okay. For those who are associating her with Russia, I find that completely ridiculous and downright unfair. She changed her citizenship four years ago. She’s proud and happy to be the first Kazakh woman to ever win a grand slam.

Elena Rybakina was stripped of many things when she won this year’s Wimbledon. The sole fact that she lost things as opposed to gaining the glory she deserved is flat-out wrong. I had the privilege of meeting her and taking a quick photo as she left the practice courts in San Diego this past week. I can confirm that she is just as kind and lovely in person. As I was watching her practice, a crowd began to grow around the court. A woman behind me tapped me on the shoulder and asked “Do you know who that girl is?” I turned around and responded “That’s Elena Rybakina. She won Wimbledon earlier this year.” The woman turned to her husband and began to spread the news that “the girl practicing” had won Wimbledon. By listening to murmurs and whispers around the court, it was apparent that many had no idea who she was. As she left the practice court, children and adults alike began to swarm her and ask for autographs - she took the time to sign every single one. Whether you are a fan of hers or not, her Wimbledon victory was significant. It reminded us that the world we live in is unfair. We live in a world where a little girl from Russia can dream of big things. Her family can struggle to pay for her tennis lessons. The girl can practice in the dead of winter, train from sunrise to sunset, and go to sleep at night, clutching onto her dream that maybe - just maybe, she could win Wimbledon. The little girl eventually grows up and achieves her life-long dream. She shatters the glass on the other side and wins Wimbledon. We live in a world where that little girl is stripped of the glory and fame she dreamt of. She now realizes she has to keep dreaming…