Elena Rybakina’s cruising into the Round of 16! The former finalist easily beat her Ukrainian opponent, Yastremska, in straight sets. This puts her in a pretty elite club – she’s now got 51 Grand Slam wins, standing at fifth just behind Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Ons Jabeur and Coco Gauff. But here’s the thing, her back injury troubled her early in the match. Now, she desperately needs her medical team to work some magic and get her back on track!
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The Kazakh thrillingly started her 2025, at the AO, winning both of her 1st and 2nd round matches against Emerson Jones and Iva Jovic, respectively in straight sets. Coming as a heavy favorite in her third-round match against Dayana Yastremska, she started with a flyer.
Despite facing an early injury scare(three games into the first set), Rybakina broke her opponent in the first set and maintained her composure to close it out. The second set was a more competitive affair, with both players exchanging breaks early on. However, Rybakina prevailed, 6-3, 6-4. Against Yastremska, Rybakina tried to shorten the rallies and hit winners in an attempt to speed up the match – helped in part by 37 unforced errors from her opponent.
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Following her match, Rybakina had an in-court interview where she was asked about the lower back issue she faced during the match. “Honestly, I didn’t know how it would go. It came suddenly. It wasn’t easy..I knew that it will be very difficult to stay long in the rally so I was trying to play aggressive but sometimes risk little bit more so yeah really happy that it went in my way,” she quoted.
In addition, she was also asked if she was feeling better after finishing the match with the pain. And she replied with a concerned tone, adding, “Not really. Hopefully, my physio can do some magic,”. Is that it? Not really.
Rybakina on her injury after her win over Yastremska at Australian Open
Elena: “Honestly I didn’t know how it would go. It came suddenly. It wasn’t easy..”
“Does it feel better now?”
Elena: “Not really. Hopefully my physio can do some magic.” 🙏
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 18, 2025
The Tennis Letter also posted a picture of the Kazakh with her Physio Stefan Duell and new coach Goran Ivanisevic quoting “Elena Rybakina is being seen by the physio as she looks to be dealing with a back issue during her match against Yastremska at the Australian Open. Goran Ivanisevic looks very concerned. Hopefully she’s able to continue. ❤️🩹🙏”
An X post also noted that, upon the conclusion of her in-court interview, she promptly proceeded to the tunnel while her belongings were being carried by the staff. However, the same X page later posted “Update: She is carrying her bags inside,” with a photo of Rybakina, carrying her bags.
The Kazakh will now eye for a quick recovery, as she has one full day off before her fourth-round clash. However, the issue with her back is not new, as she just recovered from a similar issue at the back end of last season.
Elena Rybakina’s withdrawal from 2024 US Open because of back injury
Remember last year’s US Open? Well, then now-No. 7 ranked Elena Rybakina was scheduled to have a second-round match with French qualifier Jessika Ponchet. However, she withdrew at the last minute. Why? Well, because of the back injury. Rybakina also made a statement just after the decision.
“Unfortunately, I have to withdraw from my match today due to my injuries. I did not want to finish the last Grand Slam of the year this way but I have to listen to my body, and I hope I can close out the remainder of the year strong. Thank you to all the fans who have and continue to support me, and I wish the remaining players good luck,” she said. That’s not it!
Due to her injury, the 2022 Wimbledon champion also took her name off from the remaining tournaments of 2024 after the US Open, including the China Open, and Wuhan Open. While addressing the withdrawals from major Asian tournaments, she added, “Due to an ongoing back injury, I regretfully have to withdraw from the upcoming Asian tournaments. While I’ve been working hard on my recovery, my medical team and I have decided it’s best to prioritise my health at this time. This has been a challenging year and I am grateful for the support from the tournament organisers and all of my fans. My team and I will work on getting me back on the court before the season finale,”.
However, she did start at the WTA Finals in Riyadh but could not progress to the SF despite beating No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka. As she lost to Jasmine Paolini and Zheng Qinwen in her other two group stage contests.
Coming back to her AO, Rybakina will now face the winner of an all-American heavyweight clash between Madison Keys and Danielle Collins, which is going to be held later today.
Written by
Edited by
Deepanshi Bajaj