At the thought of her parents, Elena Rybakina still showed great emotions. After curbing joy at the surprising Wimbledon triumph on the pitch, the native of Moscow, who had defeated Ons Jabeur (Tun) 3: 6, 6: 2, 6: 2 in the final, suddenly burst into tears at the press conference. The 23-year-old answered the question about Russia and Vladimir Putin stoically. “From my side I can only say that I represent Kazakhstan. I didn’t choose where I was born.”
Because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, professionals from Russia and Belarus were excluded from Wimbledon. The debate that top players like Daniil Medvedev were missing and that the ATP and WTA organizations did not award world ranking points as a reaction, dominated the headlines for a long time before the tournament.
The fact that a player from Moscow won the women’s competition gave the tournament a political note at the end. Rybakina has represented Kazakhstan since 2018. “Wimbledon ended with the very image it had so desperately tried to prevent,” wrote the British “Telegraph” and outlined the moment when Duchess Kate presented the Venus Rosewater Dish to Rybakina as a trophy. “This women’s final produced a photo opportunity that had everyone at the Russian Embassy in London roaring over their glasses of vodka.”
Rybakina had said before the tournament that she longed for a speedy end to the war. In the stands, she hugged the President of the Kazakh Tennis Association, Bulat Utemuratov. The head of state of the Central Asian country, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, congratulated from afar on a “historic victory” and the first Grand Slam singles title for Kazakhstan.
Source: Nachrichten
