By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday, July 9, 2022
Elena Rybakina stole the show on Saturday at Wimbledon, making history as the first player from Kazakhstan to ever win a Grand Slam title.
The 23-year-old force became the first woman to come back from a set down in a Wimbledon final since Amelie Mauresmo in 2006, defeating Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Did she enjoy it?
Nah, maybe next time.
“Not going to lie, today I was too stressed out,” Rybakina told reporters after her triumph. “I think I didn't enjoy it as much as I should maybe.
“I enjoyed more semifinal. I don't know why. I played also very well that match. I think that I'm going to enjoy for sure maybe tomorrow, maybe when everything, like, is going to be calm. I'm going to be around my close friends, family. For sure this I'm going to remember all the memories on this day for sure. But, yeah, for now it was stressful.”
Rybakina was cool under pressure though.
She saved all seven break points she faced in the second and third sets to turn the match around, and even rallied from 0-40 down at 3-2 in the final set, winning five consecutive points to hold.
And that calmness when she gave her speech after the final? Don’t be fooled – Rybakina was close to tears and nearly had a breakdown on court.
“When I was giving speech in the end I was thinking, ‘I'm going to cry right now,’ but somehow I hold it. Maybe later when I'm going to be alone in the room, I'm going to cry nonstop. I don't know,” she said.
It’s quite remarkable that the winner of the first set had won ever women’s singles final at Wimbledon since 2006, when Amelie Mauresmo rallied to top Justine Henin, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
“For sure, it's a fairy tale,” Rybakina said. “As I said, it's difficult to describe now how I feel. But for sure I'm going to remember these two weeks, especially today, forever. I mean, it's just something I will never forget.
Many remarked about Rybakina’s muted celebration after her victory, but the emotions finally did come out when she was asked about how her parents were reacting to her victory.
“You wanted to see emotions?” she asked reporters.
Why yes we did – and thank you, Elena!