By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday July 2, 2023
She played two matches on grass this summer, winning one, then pulled out of Eastbourne citing illness. So, yeah, it hasn’t exactly been a confidence inspiring leadup for defending Wimbledon women’s singles champion Elena Rybakina.
After pulling out of Roland-Garros prior to her third round match due to a viral illness, Rybakina has needed extra time to get her body right. It’s not clear if she’s in perfect shape yet, but the good news is that she’s good to go.
She explained to reporters on Sunday in London that she struggled with allergies all spring, and that is what led to her picking up a viral illness.
“I have allergies,” she said. “The worse for me is the whole May, I would say. I took the normal, pills, antihistamine like everybody else. The virus I caught was because the immune system was weak at that period. It was just the virus. The body had to recover by itself also, so it took a lot of time.”
If there is good news for Rybakina it is that her brand of tennis, particularly on grass, relies on a lot of first-strike tennis and quick points. Don’t expect her to get into marathon three-hour matches at Wimbledon, where she is slated to face American Shelby Rogers in first-round action on Tuesday.
Perhaps the illness, and the time off it gave her, will allow her body to feel fresh? Hard to predict, but if it is the case, watch out. At 19-7 lifetime Rybakina has already proven that she’s one of the most lethal players in the world on grass.
She may be tucked into one of the most loaded quarters of the women’s draw, with Ons Jabeur, Petra Kvitova, Karolina Pliskova, Beatriz Haddad Maia and Jelena Ostapenko, but the only Kazakh champion in Wimbledon singles history has demonstrated herself to be a cut above all of those names in 2023, as she has compiled a 33-8 record with titles at Indian Wells and Rome and a final at the Australian Open.
Pressure a Privelege?
The wild card Rybakina faces could be the pressure of defending her title at Wimbledon. When the 24-year-old No.3 seed walks onto Centre Court on Tuesday, as the defending women’s champion always does on the Day 2 at Wimbledon, she’ll experience an honor unlike any other.
“It's going to be exciting for me,” she said. “To play first match on big courts, it's different for me. Also to come to the tournament as a defending champion, it's something new, like a new chapter.”
At times during her rise, icy and poised Rybakina has seemed impervious to pressure. We’ll find out more about this perceived strong point of her makeup on Tuesday. She hopes she passes the test.
“Hopefully I continue like this coming to all the tournaments,” she said.