On a night packed with power, poise, and a dash of unexpected drama, Elena Rybakina carved her name into season-ending glory. In Riyadh, with her 6-3,7-6(0) win over the current world number one, Aryna Sabalenka, she became the first player representing Kazakhstan and an Asian country overall to win the WTA Finals. But as the confetti settled and the cameras flashed with her maiden WTA Finals crowd, a different story began to swirl beyond the boundaries of the court.

After the match, cameras caught Sabalenka in tears while microphones picked up her trash-talking her opponent. Shortly after smashing her racket out of rage, she vented out her frustration, saying, “Once a year, even the stick shoots.“ This is actually a Russian idiom that implies she believes Rybakina’s victory was a fluke, rather than a result of her skill. Although a few moments after cooling things up a bit, Sabalenka was spotted heaping praise on the Kazakh star during the post-match interview by saying, “Elena, you were definitely a better player today. You literally smashed me out of the court, so…“ This controversial remark created a buzz around the tennis world. And now, Rybakina responds!

In a recent interview with TENGRI NEWS, Elena Rybakina was asked to give her reaction to the same and whether she heard that phrase during the match. Replying to that, Elena Rybakina said, “They told me after the match, but it was in context. We’ve played with Aryna (Sabalenka) many times, and more than once this year, so I don’t really focus on it. I have good feelings for both Arya and her team, so I don’t take it to heart, even if it was actually said to me.”

In an era where rivalries can quickly turn personal and narratives can spiral online, Rybakina injected calm into the noise. Her words echoed maturity, experience, and an understanding of the heat-of-the-moment pressures that define elite sport. Despite the fiery optics of the viral clip, the Rybakina-Sabalenka rivalry has long been one marked by mutual respect. Now, they’ve already crossed paths against each other 14 times, with Sabalenka winning 8 of those duels. Their matches – often heavy-hitting duels that leave fans breathless – have produced some of the season’s best tennis. Both players push each other to their physical and emotional limits, and in that space, frustrations are only natural.

Talking about showing respect to her opponent, in that same interview, Elena Rybakina was asked to take part in a viral social-media trend where athletes “stay silent until they hear someone better than themselves.“ Starting with Jasmine Paolini and Mirra Andreeva, Rybakina chose to stay tight-lipped. But when Maria Sharapova, Serena Williams, Iga Swiatek, and Aryna Sabalenka’s names popped up, she chose to speak up.

While sharing her thoughts about Sabalenka and Swiatek, the current world number 5 said, “Of course, Iga and Aryna are still my rivals, but overall, the results they’ve achieved are really great.“ This year, Rybakina has won three titles, the same as Swiatek, but that’s one less than Sabalenka. But now that’s past, and it’s time to look forward to a new season! 

Where will both Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka kick off their 2026 season?

The new season is still a few days away from getting started, yet the tennis world is already buzzing as Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka prepare to open their campaigns at the Brisbane International. For two women who ended the 2025 season tangled in headlines – one lifting a trophy, the other caught in a viral post-match remark – the fresh start in Australia feels like the perfect setting for a reset.

The tournament is scheduled to take place from January 4 to January 11, 2026, and guess what? Sabalenka will enter the tournament as the defending champion. Rybakina last competed in this tournament in 2024. That time she defeated Sabalenka 6-0, 6-3 to win the title. So, as the sun-soaked courts of Queensland await two of the Tour’s biggest hitters, their parallel journeys – one chasing rhythm, the other defending dominance – set the stage for a storyline worthy of the season’s first big showdown. Following that, she is also scheduled to play at the Adelaide International. So, this is surely good news for her fans, especially after her recent withdrawal from the World Tennis League.

Currently, Elena Rybakina is carrying out her pre-season in Dubai. And amid all this, during a recent interview with Sport Schrodinger, she shared an update about her injuries. Rybakina said, “My back hurt at the beginning of the season. It was frustrating that it started in Australia, but we quickly fixed it with some exercises. My leg issues are the most concerning; sometimes better, sometimes worse. In addition to training, we also do various rehabilitation procedures. It’s an issue that won’t be resolved quickly.”

She further added, “Regarding my shoulder, it happened at the last tournament and didn’t require any intervention or medical attention. I rested there, and it went away. The shoulder pain was due to playing so many tournaments in a row and serving a lot. Overall, it was under control. As a team, we’ve managed to avoid serious injuries and surgeries.”

Elena Rybakina’s last Grand Slam success came at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. It’s been three years since her glory, and injuries have been her biggest hurdles to her successes. It’ll be interesting to see if she manages to keep herself fit for the majority of the 2026 season and gift her fans some glorious moments at the major tournaments next year. Do you think she can beat the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff and win a major title in 2026?