Instead, the pandemic hit and as the tour resumed Rybakina struggled to find her way. Her fleeting moments of excellence were accompanied by frustration as she patiently awaited a breakthrough. Finally, it came. At the end of a wonderful fortnight, when her form and confidence gradually blossomed, Rybakina finally reached the pinnacle of her sport. After overcoming all the nerves and tension that came with her maiden grand slam final and an extremely solid start from her opponent, Rybakina fought back from a one-set deficit to overcome third-seeded Ons Jabeur 3 -6, 6-2. , 6-2 and become Wimbledon champion. The 23-year-old is the first player from Kazakhstan to win a grand slam singles tournament. Born in Russia, she changed her citizenship to Kazakhstan in 2018 after being offered financial support by the national federation. The Duchess of Cambridge was present to present the trophy. After the All England Club chose to ban Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it is ironic that the tournament ended with the best talent of the new Russian-born generation breaking through. Her success, however, reflects negatively on Russia’s tennis system, which has lost considerable talent to Kazakhstan due to a lack of funding, while most of its best players train abroad. Elena Rybakina came from behind to defeat Ons Jabeur. Photo: Tom Jenkins/The Observer As cries of ‘yalla’ and ‘allez’ rang out for Jabeur, the first Arab player and African to reach a singles grand slam final in the Open era, Jabeur was determined to upset Rybakina with her intricate, varied game. She lengthened rallies, forced Rybakina to crouch to meet her slices and peppered Rybakina with drop shots. Jabeur broke serve for 2-1 and then went on her service games to take the set. The momentum shifted sharply at the start of the second set. Jabeur opened by giving a cheap service game with a series of unforced errors, netting a forehand on break point. Rybakina began to play on her terms, bullying Jabeur from the top of the baseline, and the Tunisian became very tight. Jabeur struggled to hit through the ball and establish herself in the match, and the few times she did try to get her forehand free she made several errors. In the end, Jabeur relied too much on her finesse and was too predictable. After Rybakina took the second set, the crowd kept trying to cheer Jabeur on and as she trailed 2-3, she responded, creating three break points at 0-40 with a stunning lob. With her back against the wall, Rybakina hit four first serves in five points at speeds of 117 mph and up and hit the ball with complete freedom. She saved every break point, held serve and never looked back as she cruised to her first Grand Slam title. Ons Jabeur fought against Rybakina’s power. Photo: Tom Jenkins/The Observer In her short time on tour, Rybakina’s composure, even after her biggest wins, has become her trademark. As she achieved the childhood dreams she worked for all her life, Rybakina was as composed as ever, a smile barely flickering across her face after the match. “When I was speaking at the end I was thinking, ‘I’m going to cry now,’ but somehow I’m holding it in.” Maybe later, when I’m alone in the room, I’ll cry non-stop. I don’t know,” Rybakina said. With no ranking points to offer this year, Rybakina will drop to 23rd, although under normal circumstances she would have risen to a new ranking of around sixth, but this is a priceless win and she has stepped up to another level. He has the weapons and temperament to win more grand slam titles and compete on all surfaces. “Maybe I proved that you don’t always have to have a big team from a young age because I didn’t until the age of 17, 18. So I think that’s the most important thing, that everyone, regardless of their financial situation, no if they are, can play and achieve a lot of great results,” he said. Even in a career that seems to unlock new firsts for her region and continent every week, this was a special week for Jabeur, even though it ended in great disappointment. Everything he has achieved is the result of a gradual development. Now ranked No. 2 and a grand slam finalist at the age of 27, Jabeur has taken another step forward and put herself in position to walk that path again. Quick guide
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Thanks for your response. Afterwards, Jabeur said her determination to win this title was so strong that she changed the lock screen on her phone to an image of Venus’ rosewater dish, which she showed to her audience at the press conference. “I did everything from the beginning of the year to really focus on this tournament. I even have the picture of the trophy on my phone. But it wasn’t meant to be. I can’t force things. I’m probably not ready to be a grand slam champion. I look forward to the next one,” he said.
