World No. 3 Elena Rybakina dazzled fans by wearing a black-and-white outfit in a photoshoot, a week ahead of her title defense at Wimbledon.
Rybakina has risen up the ranks since winning her maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2022. Since her Wimbledon triumphs, Rybakina has reached a couple of tournament finals, including the 2023 Australian Open. She also won the Italian Open and the BNP Paribas Open this year.
The World No. 3 was interviewed by the Daily Mail a week prior to the commencement of the Roland Garros. On June 26, the interview, along with the pictures captured during the photoshoot, was released for fans.
Elena Rybakina adorned the streets of Paris in her black-and-white attire as she sported a smile for the camera. The pictures from her photoshoot can be seen below:
"I had not many expectations going there" - Elena Rybakina was not confident ahead of her 2022 Wimbledon campaign
Elena Rybakina raised quite a few eyebrows by winning her maiden Major Crown at Wimbledon.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the Kazakh revealed that she had zero to no expectations regarding her performance at the 2022 Wimbledon, considering her poor form prior to the Grand Slam.
The 24-year-old also added that she was struggling with an injury and hence did not have high expectations at Wimbledon.
"‘I had ups and downs during last season, and before Wimbledon, my tournaments weren’t successful, I was struggling with injury, I had been on the road a long time, and so I had not many expectations going there," Rybakina said.
Elena Rybakina further added that she was thinking of going on a holiday, implying she would suffer an early exit in the tournament. She also said that, due to her low expectations, she did not have much pressure and hence improved with every match she played.
"I was actually thinking I would be on holiday in the second week because the grass hadn’t gone well. I thought, “Let’s just see how it goes”. I didn’t have any pressure and every match I improved," Elena Rybakina added.
The 2023 Australian Open finalist was also asked if she'd bring out any wild celebrations if she defends her title, to which she replied that she prefers being calm at times.
"I just try to stay calm, maybe I’m even too level sometimes," the 24-year-old added.