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Former ATP star Alex Corretja believes that Elena Rybakina will win her second Grand Slam title at the upcoming Australian Open, 2025's first tennis Major. The Spaniard also feels the Kazakh has a chance of ending the coming year as the World No. 1.
Corretja, alongside former stars Mats Wilander, Tim Henman and Laura Robson, recently came together for Eurosport to discuss and predict how 2025 could potentially turn out for some of tennis' biggest names. At one point, they were asked about the potential outcome of the women's singles category at the Australian Open.
Wilander and Robson chose two-time reigning Australian Open champion and World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka to win the hardcourt Major for the third successive year. Meanwhile, Henman picked Zheng Qinwen. However, according to Corretja, it will be Elena Rybakina who will claim her first title in Melbourne come January of next year.
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"I’m going to go for [Elena] Rybakina," Corretja told Eurosport.
The former ATP World No. 2 also opined that the Kazakh has a chance to finish 2025 as the top-ranked WTA player.
"I’m actually thinking she might finish as No. 1 this year," Corretja added.
Elena Rybakina had a great chance to win the 2023 Australian Open. The Kazakh managed to reach the final and then won the first set 6-4. However, Aryna Sabalenka stormed back into the contest and dominated the Kazakh to take the second and third sets 6-3, 6-4, respectively.
Had Rybakina won, it would have been her second Major title. Her first title triumph on the Grand Slam stage came in 2022 when she downed Ons Jabeur in the final of the Wimbledon Championships.
2024 turned out to be a mixed bag for the former World No. 3. and current No. 6. While she started the year with a bang and added three WTA Tour-level titles to her growing haul of prestigious tennis honors, it wasn't all smooth sailing as she later struggled with her fitness and also made a significant coaching change.
Elena Rybakina's 2024 was a mix of success, struggles and starting afresh
In the first half of 2024, Elena Rybakina was in red-hot form, as she won her sixth, seventh and eigth WTA Tour-level titles at the Brisbane International, the Abu Dhabi Open and the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, respectively. She also reached the quarterfinals of the French Open and the semifinals of the Wimbledon Championships.
However, the second half of her year was marred by fitness struggles, illness and a series of withdrawals from high-profile events, including the US Open, where she pulled out after securing a first-round win. The Kazakh also parted ways with longtime coach Stefano Vukov.
Rybakina has since roped in former ATP No. 2 Goran Ivanisevic as her coach for the 2025 season. Ivanisevic has previously led Marin Cilic to a US Open title, and then more notably, Novak Djokovic to 12 of the Serb's 24 Major successes.
