"I was struggling" - Elena Rybakina opens up about dealing with "health issues" after surprise French Open 2024 QF loss to Jasmine Paolini

Elena Rybakina opened up about her struggles and health issues after her surprising loss to Jasmine Paolini in the quarterfinals of the 2024 French Open. The Italian saw off the Kazakh 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in two hours and three minutes to reach the first Grand Slam semifinals of her career.

Ryakina has had a great 2024 season so far, having won three titles. However, a big issue troubling the Kazakh has been her health, which has led to her withdrawing from many tournaments and dropping many points.

Expressing her unhappiness in the post-match press conference, the Kazakh explained that she didn't have a great day at the office and said that she found herself a step back since the Italian was aggressive from the get-go, whereas she failed to do the same. Rybakina said that she felt that she was close to winning the match but failed to clinch victory.

“Well, yeah, it’s definitely not the greatest day. She played really well. She started much better. She was moving good. I started a bit slow, and she was aggressive from the first ball. Then I was just trying to find my game, which was always I would step back and I was trying to fight through, but in the end, yeah, as you say, it’s not the greatest day in the office. I was close, but she won," Rybakina said.

The 24-year-old Rybakina acknowledged that her legs gave out toward the end of the game and talked about how the heat during the match caused the balls to fly higher. She also admitted that she should have moved better regardless of the weather and controlled the unforced errors. The Kazakh expressed disappointment in her performance but said that she would try to learn from the result and move on.

“Yeah, today definitely was hotter, and the ball was flying much more. I think in the end my legs were not there. No matter which conditions, if it’s slow or fast, I should have been moving better and some decision. A lot of unforced errors. So I’m not, of course, really happy with the performance, but it is what it is. It’s tennis. Not every day you can play good. I will try to take some good things from this match, try to analyze, and just move on,” she stated.

Elena Rybakina reiterated that she had a bad day but was happy to have reached the Final 8 of the Paris Major considering her struggles with her health issues over the past few months. Despite the fact that her desire to win the tournament proved unsuccessful, she was able to prevail over numerous formidable opponents, which was a huge plus for her.

“It was bad day. As I was saying, I was struggling a little bit with the health issues past few weeks, so I think it’s just all together. But in the end no matter all these things, which were maybe happening outside of the court, I managed to get to the quarters. I think it’s pretty good result. Of course, I always want to win, but a lot of tough opponents, a lot of matches, and I think overall it’s been positive French Open for me,” she added.

"Need to focus on the grass season" - Elena Rybakina switches focus

Elena Rybakina with the Venus Rosewater Dish

Elena Rybakina, who had to miss a lot of tournaments due to health issues, explained that even though she wanted to participate in as many tournaments as she could, her body was not in optimal condition.

“I mean, I played so many matches. Also, good wins against top players. Of course, it’s a lot of ups and downs from my side, missing some events. Of course, I would like to play everything, but if the body is on the limit, I cannot do anything," she said.

She stated that she wanted to keep up her strong play through the end of the season and that she was now focusing on the approaching grass-court swing.

“For now I’m pretty happy, and if I can continue like this until the end of the year it’s going to be not bad for sure. In the end I just, yeah, need to focus now on the grass season,” she mentioned.

Elena Rybakina's lone Major win came at Wimbledon in 2022, when the Kazakh came back from a set down to defeat Ons Jabeur. She won that match 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to lift the Venus Rosewater Dish.