Wimbledon champion told what to ‘manage’ to defend title as illness causes chaos

Elena Rybakina was a surprise champion 12 months ago but now goes into SW19 as one of the top players on the WTA Tour. But a viral illness has seen her pull out of two recent tournaments, casting some doubt over her hopes of retaining the crown. Amid the uncertainty, the president of her nation’s tennis federation exclusively told Express Sport what she must do to defend her title.

Rybakina announced herself at Wimbledon last year, storming to the title while ranked No 23 in the world and beating the likes of Simona Halep and Ons Jabeur en route. It was the first time that the Kazakh had been beyond the semi-final of a Major and she has since followed it up by making the Australian Open final.

This time around, the 24-year-old is one of the heavy favourites for the title and is part of what has been dubbed as the WTA’s ‘Big Three’ along with Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka. But Rybakina is racing to be ready after pulling out of the French Open with a viral illness, which was still bothering her earlier this week when she also withdrew from Eastbourne.

With the world No 3 set to start her title defence against Shelby Rogers on Tuesday, Kazakhstan Tennis Federation president Bulat Utemuratov told her to manage the added expectations and attention. “It’s going to be different because the pressure is on her this time, and she’s going to be one of the favourites to win,” he told Express Sport.

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“Elena wasn’t one of the favourites last year, and she was able to play freely, without any expectations from anyone. A lot has changed in the last 12 months, however, and people expect her to play well. Attention from the media and from fans is also new to her. She has to manage this and remain calm and focused.”

While defending a Grand Slam title will be unknown territory for Rybakina, she has risen to expectations since lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish last summer. Utemuratov continued: “The past 12 months have not been easy for Elena, given the high expectations on the part of both tennis experts and fans in the wake of her victory at Wimbledon.

“Elena has proven, however, that her championship at Wimbledon was no fluke, and she has enjoyed excellent results, reaching the finals at the Australian Open and in Miami, as well as winning titles at Indian Wells and in Rome. She has regularly defeated the top players in the world, climbing to No 3 in global rankings.”

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While the Kazakh tennis boss knows that Wimbledon will be very different for Rybakina this time around, he backed her to keep performing under pressure. “Elena is going to Wimbledon to defend her title this year, and there will, of course, be some pressure on her,” he added.

“I think that’s just part of professional sports. Athletes have to earn their ranking and prove themselves over again and again, as being at the top is never easy. The best players are pursued by their opponents, which can be difficult psychologically. Despite this, I have no doubt that Elena has the right psychological approach and attitude, which helps with her preparation for important matches and with her performance.”

Utemuratov is also well aware that there are dangerous players all over the draw as well as the usual suspects of Swiatek and Sabalenka. He said: “I don’t think there will be any easy opponents in the opening rounds. Given that the Grand Slam tournaments bring out the best in every player, we may once again see new names in the later stages of the competition, as was the case at Roland Garros, where the Czech player Karolína Muchova reached the final with an impressive performance. To defend her title, Elena will have to battle for every point and play her best tennis.”

But that will all come down to whether Rybakina recovers in time, as this week she was still battling with the after-effects of the virus she caught in Paris – something she said left her stuck in a hotel room for days. “As I already mentioned, it won’t be easy; she needs to take it step by step, point by point and match by match. I hope she’ll have time to fully recover from the nasty virus she picked up in Paris and that she’ll be ready for Wimbledon,” Utemuratov added.

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