"I just want to be more happy" - Elena Rybakina cautiously optimistic about reaching full fitness against overcoming spate of unfortunate illnesses

Elena Rybakina has shared that she is very cautiously ambitious about regaining full fitness since overcoming a series of unfortunate illnesses. This year, Rybakina has been forced to withdraw from multiple tournaments due to a persistent abdominal injury.

Rybakina, who won the Wimbledon Championships in 2022 after defeating Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in the final, is currently seeded fourth in this year's Grasscourt Major. She began her campaign with a dominant victory over qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse, winning 6-3, 6-1 in one hour and 11 minutes in the first round. With this win, the Kazakh now has a total of 15 wins and only two losses in the Wimbledon main draw matches throughout her career.

During the post-match on-court interview, Elena Rybakina expressed that she was happy at securing her first win at SW19 this year. She stated that she was happy that she was able to overcome her illnesses which had plagued her for quiet some time and win a match at the Grasscourt Major.

“Yeah really happy to win my first match here this year and I didn’t play much from grass. Unfortunately I had some issues but I'm really happy to go and play another match,” Rybakina said.

Rybakina also revealed that she has been recovering from her illnesses little by little. She also talked about how her goal this season is to express her emotions more on the court.

“Yeah well hopefully much by much. I am just keeping all the emotions inside and sometimes it’s not easy but yeah I’m looking forward to the next one and I just want to be more happy on the court. That's definitely my goal for now,” she added.

Elena Rybakina said that Wimbledon is a special place for her and where she loves coming back to play. She also thanked her fans for coming in and supporting her.

“Yeah it's a really special place. So thank you so much guys for coming and it's always nice to be back. Feels like a place here yesterday to be honest like the year passes so quickly and it’s amazing to be back for sure,” she said.

Elena Rybakina will face Laura Siegemund in Wimbledon 2R

Elena Rybakina at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships

Elena Rybakina will go up against Laura Siegemund in the second round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.

Rybakina kicked off her grasscourt season at the 2024 Ecotrans Ladies Open in Berlin as the third seed. She began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye and secured a victory against Veronika Kudermetova in her opening match.

Unfortunately, she had to withdraw from the tournament during the first set of her quarterfinal match against Victoria Azarenka due to a gastrointestinal issue. Rybakina also had to skip the 2024 Eastbourne International due to a change in her schedule.

At the Wimbledon Championships, Elena Rybakina defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse to secure her place in the second.

Meanwhile, Laura Siegemund started her grasscourt season at the 2024 Eastbourne International, where she had to go through the qualifiers to enter the main draw. However, she lost to Lauren Davis.

At Wimbledon, the German overcame World No.72, Kateryna Baindl 6-4, 6-1 in the first round to secure her place in the second round where she will face Rybakina.