Elena Rybakina has this week become the first Kazakhstani tennis player to reach World No. 1 on the WTA Rankings, after powering to the semi-finals of the Women’s US Open, reports Qazinform.
Although the rankings are provisional, ahead of the culmination of the major event currently underway, Rybakina has moved to top spot ahead of Belarus player, Aryna Sabalenka, making history for her country and receiving the congratulations of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the process.
Rybakina’s climb to the summit of her sport has included two major wins, namely Wimbledon in 2022 and the Australian Open earlier this year, but an additional 11 WTA victories have added valuable points, making the Russia-born professional officially the best player in the women’s game at the moment.
Although Rybakina was born and raised in Moscow, she made the switch in 2018 after the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation came up with an offer of support, enabling her to overcome the financial barriers involved in becoming a top professional. Her parents, despite wanting her to continue in the sport, had been unable to meet those costs in full, and when Kazakhstan saw potential in the young talent, they decided to supply the funding.
This week, on hearing the news of Rybakina’s rise to the top, Kazakhstan Tennis Federation President, Bulat Utemuratov, congratulated her and reminded fans that this didn’t only happen because the federation stepped in to help.
“This success is the result of tremendous effort, talent, strength of character, and years of dedication from Elena and her entire team.”
Other aspiring Kazakhstani tennis professionals, such as Amina Nurmakhan, are likely to see this as very positive for the development of tennis in their country, and this view is shared by coaches and players locally.
Elena Rybakina had some difficult decisions to make when stepping up from junior to senior tennis, but she is very open about how her new country gave her an additional option, ultimately the road to success.
“I think everything came together in that moment. The Kazakhstan Federation, they were looking for players, and I was looking for some help. So we found each other in the perfect moment and this is how I started [my] professional career, I would say.”
Bulat Utemuratov was the man who sealed the deal with Elena and her parents. He is undoubtedly proud of his part in all this, saying:
“She’s the new icon. We’re happy that she encourages a new generation of kids to come and play tennis.”
As stated, the President himself sent his best wishes to the player, and in a statement issued via Aibek Smadiyarov, Advisor and Press Secretary to the President of Kazakhstan, he said:
“Reaching the top of the WTA rankings is a sporting pinnacle that you have achieved thanks to your phenomenal talent, tremendous hard work and unwavering belief in yourself.”
