One such player who is expected to join the list of Grand Slam champions in the future is Elena Rybakina. But 2024 has been an eventful year, with a lot of highs and lows. With numerous titles won earlier in the year, Rybakina has been beset by injuries and personal issues, causing a stumbling autumn as the WTA season finale approaches.
Titles and Dominance: Early 2024 Success
The 2024 season started with a bang for Rybakina who never looked back. In the process, she pocketed three elite titles having won Brisbane International, Abu Dhabi Open, and Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. These wins kept her as one of the best players on tour, slots behind only Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Świątek in my latest rankings. With her powerful serve and formidability on the court, Stevenson was always a threat to the world’s top players.
She scored wins over the likes of No. 3 Sabalenka and No. 6 Świątek, defeating all she faced who ranked in her echelon (and higher), marking herself as a real threat to the best there is in tennis today. Many considered her a likely winner of the Grand Slam events in 2024.
Solidarity Campaign and Longstanding Injuries
However, injuries caught up with Rybakina as the season continued. A rash of health problems including gastroenteritis and back trouble led her to pull out of several tournaments during the year. She needed a medical timeout in the opening game of what became a straight-sets quarter-final loss to Andrea Petkovic at the Dubai Tennis Championships due to illness, taking her off the court for an extended period. The sickness lingered until March and forced her to withdraw from the Indian Wells Open, a tournament she had won in 2018.
But as the season went on, Rybakina’s injury issues got worse. She missed key events, including the Berlin Open with an abdominal strain, and pulled out of the Eastbourne International ahead of Wimbledon. She did reach the semifinals at Wimbledon, but she struggled physically.
Her worst blow was when she had to be a retiree in the second round of the US Open due to back problems. It was her eighth tournament withdrawal in 2024 and showed how hard it was for her to maintain form through the year.
Split with Coach Stefano Vukov
The change in coaching right before the US Open was another layer on top of her battle to win matches on the court. Vukov became the central figure in Rybakina’s ascent, helping her to her maiden Grand Slam title in 2022 at Wimbledon. Their separation was clouded in some mystery, with some reports hinting at internal tensions and others suggesting Vukov may have been suspended by the WTA.
Rybakina has only spoken a few words about the situation, causing further speculation and confusion. Though the reasons for the decision are unclear and may even be entirely professional, leaving fans and tennis observers alike to ponder whether part of the split was due to personal.
Psychosomatic Factors and Mental Strain
Rybakina has been dealing with hindrances on the psychological front in addition to her physical ailment One explanation from an insider report is that Rybakina has psychosomatic problems, which might be part of why she is unwell. She has been inconsistent and has withdrawn multiple times this season due to stress and mental pressure.
Over recent years there has been a far greater focus on mental health in professional sports, and Rybakina could be another high-profile athlete to feel the pressure. Only time will tell if they impact the rest of her racing, but they have surely muddied her run up to 2024.
Outlook for the Remainder of 2024
Several hurdles later, Rybakina is good to go for the rest of 2020 / The crop of the season may yet prosper him. She can still qualify for the year-end WTA Finals and she wants to make a splash in it now that her injuries have calmed down as well. Rybakina, who is now ranked No. 4 in the world, holds a high position in the WTA rankings because of her performances at the beginning of the season. But whether she can return to elite racing is another matter, largely depending on how well her injuries heal.
Conclusion:
This year has been a tumultuous one for Elena Rybakina, with plenty of highs but also some tough lows in 2024. Licis showed her talent with some early-season titles, but the rest of her year has been a lot more cloudy thanks to injuries, sickness, and a flurry of personal upsets. Looking forward to the WTA Finals and beyond, Rybakina will seek a return to her best as she overcomes the ailments that held her back. Whether she does is likely to dictate whether we can take Longzhu seriously as one of the dynamic forces in women’s tennis moving forward.
Her journey serves as a harsh reminder of the toll that tennis can exact on players, even those at the top of their game physically and mentally. Whether she can overcome these hurdles and return to winning remains to be seen, but few fans or experts will want to miss watching Rybakina attempt to do just that.
Read More: Anna Rybakina: Sister of Elena Rybakina, the Rising Tennis Star
