Elena Rybakina shares why post-Wimbledon win period was extremely difficult for her

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Elena Rybakina revealed the post-Wimbledon win period was extremely difficult for her because she was battling self-doubts and just "did not feel like a top player." In the summer of 2022 - just a few weeks after turning 23 - Rybakina became a Grand Slam champion after beating Ons Jabeur in the Wimbledon final.

Going into the 2022 Wimbledon edition, Rybakina wasn't really mentioned among the favorites for the title. At the time of her Wimbledon win, Rybakina was ranked in the mid-20s, and since the WTA penalized Wimbledon by removing all ranking points, the Kazakh stayed ranked there after The Championships.

In the next couple of WTA 1000 tournaments and the 2022 US Open, Rybakina was getting her matches scheduled for outside courts and she didn't do particularly well. "It wasn't easy to overcome this win. Of course after winning a title you're like 'Wow.

I hope it wasn't by mistake or by luck.' In my case it was a bit different because I didn't get the points. On the rest of the tournaments and in another big Grand Slam, I didn't feel like I was a top player. It's a lot of expectations from you, a lot of people looking at you, waiting to see what you're going to do on your next tournament.

At the same time, you're not treated as a top player because you didn't get the points. I'd say this period wasn't an easy one, to be honest," Rybakina said on the Mind Set Win podcast, via The Tennis Letter.

Elena Rybakina says the period after she won Wimbledon was not easy on her:

"It wasn't easy to overcome this win.

Of course after winning a title you're like 'Wow. I hope it wasn't by mistake or by luck.' In my case it was a bit different bc I didn't get the points. On the rest… pic.twitter.com/2nvJAmehuJ — The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 17, 2023

Rybakina proved everyone in 2023 that she is the real deal

At the start of the 2023 season, Rybakina made another great Grand Slam run at the Australian Open.

In Melbourne, Rybakina fell just short of landing her second Grand Slam title after Aryna Sabalenka came back from a set down in the final to beat the Kazakh. After the Australian Open, Rybakina also broke into the top-10 for the first time in her career.

In the next couple of months, Rybakina also collected her first WTA 1000 titles when she won Indian Wells and Rome. Rybakina is now ranked at No 5 in the world and she is now widely considered one of the best in the women's game.