Russian Tennis Federation declares Elena Rybakina ‘our product’ after winning Wimbledon title
LONDON – The Russian Tennis Federation quickly announced Elena Rybakina was “our product” as she ran to the women’s title at Wimbledon.
It then praised her training in the country after she won the Venus Rosewater Dish as the Wimbledon champion while representing Kazakhstan.
“After all, it’s the Russian school. She played here with us for a long time, and then in Kazakhstan,” Russian Tennis Federation President Shamil Tarpishchev told sports website Championat today. Saturday after Rybakina’s defeat Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 on Center Court.
The 23-year-old Rybakina was born in Moscow and played in the Russian system until 2018, when financial problems led to the change of her nationality.
There has been no official response from the Kremlin to Rybakina’s success at Wimbledon, but some commentators have suggested her victory is a Russian achievement and a symbol of the British Club’s ban on the sport. with players representing Russia and Belarus.
Players from those countries have been banned from Wimbledon because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Some Russian state media emphasize Rybakina’s origins in Moscow, while others choose to call her simply “representative of Kazakhstan.”
The last Russian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title was Maria Sharapova at the 2014 French Open. Born in Moscow Sofia Keninwho left Russia as a kid and played for the United States, won the Australian Open championship in 2020.
Kazakhstan, meanwhile, is ecstatic with its first Grand Slam singles title.
“Kazakhstan Elena Rybakina has achieved a historic victory at the very prestigious Wimbledon tournament. My sincere congratulations to this outstanding athlete!” President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev wrote on Twitter.
Rybakina’s win was the culmination of a long-term plan for Kazakh tennis. The oil-rich Central Asian nation has a long tradition of success in sports such as boxing and cycling but often relies on recruiting talented tennis players from Russia.
Rybakina, known for her big serve that led to 253 aces this year, made the switch at 19 when her career stalled because of financial problems. The Tennis Federation of Kazakhstan has stepped in with an offer – to represent it in exchange for the cash needed to support a tennis player’s global lifestyle. Rybakina said this week she feels more like living on tour than anywhere else.
When Rybakina – nervously, just smiling, seemingly unsure of what she had achieved – climbed into the stands at Center Court on Saturday to celebrate with her team, she embraced her first president. KTF Bulat Utemuratov, then. Yaroslava Shvedova, the former player became her mentor. Shvedova, like Rybakina, was born in Moscow, moved to Kazakhstan in 2008 and won two Grand Slam titles in mixed doubles.
Rybakina’s victory also comes at a tense time in relations between Russia and Kazakhstan.
The year began with Russia deploying troops to its Central Asian neighbor to crack down on protests that turned violent. The Kazakh government welcomed that move but was especially reluctant to endorse Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which begins next month. President Tokayev told Putin in front of Putin at a video conference in St.Petersburg last month that Kazakhstan would not recognize the two Russian-backed separatist governments in eastern Ukraine.
Rybakina was defended in her comments about the invasion.
“I just want the war to end as soon as possible. Peace, yes,” she said after the quarter-final.
Regarding the ban on players representing Russia, Rybakina said: “When I hear this, this is not what you want to hear because we are playing sports. Everyone wants to play. They don’t choose. where they were born.”
