"The younger generation are better and better" - Elena-Gabriela Ruse talks evolution of tennis, karaoke plans with Marta Kostyuk & more (Exclusive)

Elena-Gabriela Ruse has been traveling on the WTA Tour since 2012 and has seen enough tennis from close quarters to comment on the evolution of the sport in the decade gone by. Ruse peaked at World No. 51 in singles in May 2022 and at No. 32 in doubles rankings exactly a year later. She won the WTA 250 tournament in Hamburg in 2021, defeating Germany's Andrea Petkovic in the final.

The Romanian toured Melbourne to compete at the 2025 Australian Open. She fought her way through the qualifiers for the singles main draw appearance, defeating compatriot Irina-Camelia Begu 6-4, 6-0 in the first round before falling 7-6(1), 2-6, 7-5 to eventual champion Madison Keys in a tough battle.

The 27-year-old fared better in her doubles duty as she paired up with Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk to reach the quarterfinals, where they lost to third seeds Jelena Ostapenko and Hsieh Su-Wei.

Ruse joined Sportskeeda for a candid chat at Melbourne Park during the 2025 Australian Open. Among several topics, she touched upon her professional career, lost passion for cooking desserts, and singing.

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Elena-Gabriela Ruse Exclusive

2025 Australian Open - Day 5 - Source: Getty

Sportskeeda: What do you like to do after a match?

Elena-Gabriela Ruse: I think first of all I have to recover after a match but in my free time I like to walk in the park, spend time with my team, just to enjoy.

Sportskeeda: Does that change if the on-court result is a loss?

Elena-Gabriela Ruse: (Laughs) Good question. Yeah, I mean, everybody wants to win and it’s totally different experience when you win a match. I feel very lucky with my team because they’re always trying to help me, they are very positive around me, so yeah, this is very important for me.

Sportskeeda: Would you say that your desserts are the best in the world?

Elena-Gabriela Ruse: (Laughs) You mean in Romania or the one I cook? [Sportskeeda: Of course yours...] To be honest, I don’t really cook very often. But my family, they were very surprised during the quarantine because I cooked a lot. I hope… my desserts are the best in the world, I’m not sure.

Sportskeeda: Is there any dish that you love to cook for yourself?

Elena-Gabriela Ruse: I love food first of all. I love Italian food. I love to eat pasta and pizzas, these are my favorite dishes but I try not to eat so much pizza. I also love Romanian food; I don’t know if you know about Romanian food… you have to try Sarmale. It’s like cabbage rolls and inside we have like meat with rice, which is very good. Also, we cook this Sarmale most of the time during Christmas or Easter.

Sportskeeda: What do you have to say about pineapples on pizza?

Elena-Gabriela Ruse: I like it, to be honest. I like strange things. I used to eat a lot of pineapple on the pizza before, but now not so much because now I like Margherita pizza… simple and plain.

Sportskeeda: You turned pro at a really young age [15]. Do you think that was the right decision?

Elena-Gabriela Ruse: To be honest, I think I played too many juniors so I could start professionally even earlier but well, this was my choice and I’m very happy with what happened. I was a very good junior so it was such a good experience for me to play Grand Slams on juniors.

Sportskeeda: You've been playing tennis for more than 12 years now and have witnessed different generations throughout. How has the sport changed in your opinion?

Elena-Gabriela Ruse: I think the game changed a lot physically. I never expected it to be like that. For me, it’s more mental and physical than talent, which is pretty hard for a woman I think. We have to change all the time, all the young generation are coming and they’re better and better.

Sportskeeda: Do you still get the time to practice singing?

Elena-Gabriela Ruse: (Laughs) No, to be honest, no. Actually, I talked with Marta [Kostyuk], my doubles partner and I said if we win we go to karaoke but after three hours and 30 minutes [7-5, 4-6, 7-6(10-6) win against Alexandra Panova and Guo Hanyo in the third round], I don’t know what to say.

Sportskeeda: Did you take any New Year's resolutions or any goals that you've set for this season?

Elena-Gabriela Ruse: My goals for this season are to be healthy and stay inside the top 100. In doubles, I’m already Top 50, so my goal here is to win a Grand Slam.