PICTURE: Elena Rybakina gives a big hint of on-court return amid prolonged absence; meets fans on tennis court a day after WTA Finals qualification

Elena Rybakina is gearing up for her next tournament, the 2024 WTA Finals, after nearly two months away from tour action. The Kazakh was recently spotted at a practice court getting in the groove for the event and met with some fans.

Elena Rybakina has booked her berth at the 2024 WTA Finals, set to be played from November 2 to 9 at the King Saud University Indoor Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The 25-year-old qualified for the year-end championships despite a minimal appearance on the 2024 WTA Tour and constant injury struggles.

The Kazakh last appeared on the professional circuit at the 2024 US Open in late August and withdrew ahead of her second-round match. She has not played tennis since and recently returned to the practice court. Elena Rybakina met with some young fans at the courts in Dubai, and a picture of them went viral on social media.

Rybakina made her debut at the WTA Finals last year. She was seeded fourth at the tournament in Cancun, Mexico, and was ousted in the group stage. She notched a victory over Maria Sakkari but lost to Jessica Pegula and Aryna Sabalenka at the 2023 WTA Finals.

She will come to Riyadh for this year's WTA Finals without playing professional tennis for a long time and with significant changes in her coaching team. The former Wimbledon champion parted ways with her coach, Stefano Vukov, after five years together just days before the 2024 US Open.

She replaced him with Lovro Zovko, a longtime member of her team, who will be her coach till the end of the 2024 season.

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Elena Rybakina has won three titles on WTA Tour 2024

Elena Rybakina (Source: Getty)

Elena Rybakina is the third most successful player on the 2024 WTA Tour in terms of titles, behind Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, and tied with Diana Shnaider. The Kazakh has won three titles this year, all coming at WTA 500 tournaments and in the first half of the season. The World No. 5 began her year with silverware at the Brisbane International after trouncing Sabalenka in the title contest.

Her second title came shortly after at the Abu Dhabi Open in February, where she bettered Daria Kasatkina in the final. Rybakina's third and final title of the year came in April after she defeated Marta Kostyuk in the final of the Stuttgart Open. In addition, she also finished runners-up at the WTA 1000 Qatar Open and Miami Open.

Elena Rybakina's best result at Grand Slams in 2024 came at the Wimbledon Championships, where she lost to eventual champion Barbora Krejčíková in the semifinals. Between these performances, the Kazakh had endured multiple injuries, which had forced her to withdraw/retire from eight tournaments.