Rybakina speaks as No. 1: "It has been very stressful, but I managed to find my way"

The numbers at the beginning of the tournament pointed to Elena Rybakina and her approach to becoming the world number one. To achieve this, the Kazakh needed to reach the semifinals of the US Open, a goal she accomplished this Wednesday in front of 22,000 spectators.

The Kazakh is already a part of tennis history. She was already a remarkable player after winning two Grand Slam titles, but this takes it to another level. Being in the semifinals of the US Open is more than enough reason to celebrate, but we cannot hide the significance of landing at the pinnacle of world tennis. Rybakina found the formula this afternoon to dethrone Qinwen Zheng, a victory that will always be remembered as the one that overcame the final barrier.

Elena Rybakina analyzes her victory over Qinwen Zheng

“It was a very difficult match. Very stressful. I didn't start in the best way and found a way at the end. I'm super happy. There were a lot of thoughts going through my mind at the beginning, but I'm glad I found a way. There were certainly many emotions. I was trying to hide them because you don't want your opponent to see your frustration when something goes wrong. The best thing I did at that moment was to go to the box and let it out. They listened to me. It was a battle within myself, with a lot of emotions. At first, I was quite negative, but then I found the way, found the focus, and everything improved. There are definitely always a lot of things happening inside.”

Being No. 1 is important, but it's not the most important

“It means a lot, of course, but as I said before, I don't think too much about it. It's a great achievement and I feel that you appreciate and think even more about it when your career is over. Right now, you have to keep moving forward. It’s nice when you finish and can say, ‘I won these tournaments, I've been No. 1, it’s amazing,’ but right now it’s great. You never know how long you're going to stay there. There are still many things I want to do. I want to win titles in tournaments, so all my thoughts are on the next match. It’s a different achievement. I think you chase titles more, and then the ranking can come, or not, depending on what others do. At the end of the day, you think mostly about titles.”

Elena Rybakina makes (more) history for Kazakhstan

“It’s history, and I’m very proud to represent Kazakhstan. Every time I go back to Kazakhstan, no matter which city I go to, there are always many kids. They now play tennis and more and more come to the tennis facilities. It’s incredible to see so many young people who look up to you, and it shows that anything is possible if you believe and work hard. It's hard to say right now because I haven't even checked my phone, but of course, a lot of people will be congratulating me. I'm not in Kazakhstan right now, but when I go there, I want to show my appreciation. It feels amazing to return to Kazakhstan. Unfortunately, I can't go there very often, but I think it’s an incredible achievement for the country.”

A child's game, Rybakina's origins

“When I was a child, I never thought I would be a professional or even play in these tournaments, on these big stages. My decision to turn professional came at 17, and that’s when I believed I could do well. Of course, I didn’t know how far I could go. But as a child, I just enjoyed playing tennis after school and spending time with my friends. It was just for fun.”

Learning from difficult moments

“I was quite negative and didn't start well in the first set, so I would say I went to the box and just let out the emotions, telling them everything I had in my head. My coach kept me focused and tried to remind me what we had talked about before the match, what I needed to do. In the first set, there were some moments when I was passive and didn’t have enough energy. In the second set, I stepped up and played a bit more aggressively in the important moments. In training, I had felt good, but when we started playing, I didn't feel the ball as well as in my last match. I struggled to find the point of contact. There was the sun and the shadows, sometimes I reacted too late to the ball, especially on the return. There are many little things. In your head, instead of focusing on what you need to do next, you focus on those details, and they don’t allow you to play freely.”

Rybakina, two steps away from conquering the US Open

“From where I came from when I arrived at this tournament, being injured and without training, I think we’ve come quite far. Now there are just the final efforts left, and it’s important to keep enjoying. I need to stay aggressive, try not to let my emotions affect my game, and enjoy. There are no easy opponents, only difficult ones. Everyone has their advantages in their game, and you have to try to do your best, enjoy, and hope that victory falls on your side. Whoever wins, I will talk with my team, refresh my mind, and we will see.”

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Rybakina ya habla como Nº1: “Ha sido muy estresante, pero conseguí encontrar el camino"