Rybakina

Elena Rybakina came from a set down to win her Wimbledon final against Ons Jabeur and claim her first grand slam title.

Ever since people would laugh at the nine-year-old who would speak loudly of her intention to win grand slams, everything she has achieved has been the result of a gradual evolution. There may be no ranking points on offer this year, Rybakina will fall to 23rd place even though under normal circumstances she would have risen to a new ranking of around sixth, but this is a priceless victory and she has made the step up. After Rybakina took the second set, the crowd continually tried to animate Jabeur and as she trailed 2-3, she responded, generating three break points at 0-40 with a wondrous lob. Rybakina swiftly began to play on her terms, bullying Jabeur from on top of the baseline, and the Tunisian became far too tight herself. As cries of “yalla” and “allez” rang out for Jabeur, the first Arab player and African woman to reach a grand slam singles final in the Open era, Jabeur was determined to disrupt Rybakina with her complex, varied game. Instead, the pandemic struck and upon the resumption of the tour Rybakina struggled to find her way.

The celebration was subdued, hardly a spike in emotions. But the day Elena Rybakina and Ons Jabeur met on Centre Court will be remembered as a day of tennis ...

Her win over Jabeur was just her third against a top 20-ranked player on grass -- the second was against Simona Halep in the semifinals. But in those second and third sets -- form and logic went out the window, and Rybakina was at her best, just like she was when she dispatched Halep in the semifinals. Jabeur was the first Arab woman to reach a Slam final, and the first from Africa since pro players were admitted to the major tournaments in 1968. But Rybakina found her rhythm and range, and Jabeur had no answers, the roles reversed. I just want to wish Eid Mubarak to Muslims all around the world." "It was such a tough match mentally and physically, so in the end I was just super happy that it finished. As the presentation was being arranged, she stayed in her seat. Jabeur was the overwhelming crowd favorite. For the past two weeks she has picked her way through the draw, but the questions she faced were as much about her tournament run as they were heritage. But it was near the end of the news conference when they pushed through, after she was asked what that victory would mean for her parents. "You wanted to see emotion," she said, tears on her cheeks. As Ons Jabeur pushed the forehand wide, sealing Rybakina's first Grand Slam, she clenched her left fist in celebration in the direction of her box.

Rybakina's victory at Wimbledon was deeply impressive but not the outcome that most in Centre Court or on the payrolls of the All England Club were yearning ...

The history, all those ghosts on the grass, can hit a player hard as they try to join the club. “It was good for my career,” said Shvedova of the switch. How do you convincingly paint Rybakina’s success as a bright and shiny tale of Russian triumph when it was Russia’s lack of support for her career that ultimately caused her to switch allegiances? She was already wearing her purple badge as a new member of the All England Club on Saturday night. “The Russians absolutely were questioning why, why, why. (Britain has had plenty of imports, including the former Canadian star Greg Rusedski and the former Australian Johanna Konta.) I saw the flags, so I don’t know how to answer these questions.” Thank God the Kazakhstan federation has been supporting her.” She is a Russian who was born, raised and, until this year, based in Moscow, where her parents and many of her closest friends still reside. Wimbledon, after all, has barred players who represent Russia, not players who used to represent Russia. And though Shamil Tarpischev, the longtime president of the Russian Tennis Federation, claimed “we have won Wimbledon” to a Russian state media outlet on Saturday night, that certainly rings hollow. The move came after pressure from the British government led by outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has had a much worse weekend than Jabeur has had. But Rybakina’s arrival comes at an awkward moment for those with Russian connections.