At the thought of her parents, Elena Rybakina still showed great emotions.
After the suppressed joy at the surprising Wimbledon triumph on the pitch, the native Russian suddenly shed tears in the evening press conference – the 23-year-old answered questions about Russia and Vladimir Putin stoically. “From my side I can only say that I represent Kazakhstan. I didn’t choose where I was born,” said Rybakina, who has represented Kazakhstan since 2018.
Rybakina: “I represent Kazakhstan”
Because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, professionals from Russia and Belarus were excluded from Wimbledon. The debate that top players like Daniil Medvedev were missing and that the ATP and WTA organizations did not award world ranking points as a reaction, dominated the headlines for a long time before the tournament.
The fact that a player from Moscow won the women’s competition also gave the tournament a political note at the end. “Wimbledon ended with the very image it had so desperately tried to prevent,” wrote the British “Telegraph” and outlined the moment when Duchess Kate presented the Venus Rosewater dish to Rybakina as a trophy. “This women’s final produced a photo opportunity that had everyone at the Russian Embassy in London roaring with laughter over their glasses of vodka.”
After her three-set final win against Tunisian Ons Jabeur, Rybakina was asked again if she condemned Russia’s war of aggression and Putin’s actions. “People believed in me. Kazakhstan supported me so much. Also today there was so much support, I saw the flags,” she answered evasively. “I don’t know how to answer these questions.” When asked about the war earlier in the tournament, she said she wanted it to end as soon as possible. During Wimbledon, Ukrainian players like Lessia Zurenko reported emotionally about their worries about their families back home.