Elena Rybakina wins first Wimbledon title

By: Bryan Li

The grass season is coming to a close as the Wimbledon Championships have concluded.

Last Saturday, Elena Rybakina won her first Grand Slam, defeating the number two seed Ons Jabeur. However, the crowd seemed to have been rooting for the Tunisian, Jabeur, and although she wasn’t greeted with boos, Rybakina didn’t seem to have many supporters.

Rybakina was born in Russia, but in 2018 she began representing Kazakhstan. This year, tournament banned players representing Russian and Belarusian countries because of the ongoing war with Russia and Ukraine.

When asked whether Russia might use her win as a political advantage, the 23-year-old responded, “I don’t know.” “I’m playing for Kazakhstan for a very, very long time.” The president of the Russian Tennis Federation, Shamil Tarpischev, used Rybakina and said that Russia “won” the tournament.

After the win, Elena calmy walked up to the net to shake hands with her opponent. Jabeur said she “needs to teach her how to celebrate.”

Although no points were awarded to any of the players, it was an incredible win for Rybakina. When asked how her parents might react during an interview, Rybakina shed a couple tears. “Probably, they’re going to be super proud,” she said.

All her hard work and sacrifices have finally paid off, and now it is time for her to build upon this win.