WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — The Russian tennis federation was quick to declare Elena Rybakina “our product” in her bid for the women’s title at Wimbledon.
They then praised her training program in the country after she won the Venus Rosewater Dish as Wimbledon champion while representing Kazakhstan.
“After all, this is the Russian school. She played here with us for a long time and then in Kazakhstan,” Russian Tennis Federation president Shamil Tarpishchev told sports website Championat on Saturday after Rybakina beat Ons Jabert 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 on center court.
Rybakina, 23, was born in Moscow and played in the Russian system until 2018, when financial problems led to her changing nationality.
There has been no official reaction from the Kremlin on Rybakina’s success at Wimbledon, but some commentators have argued that her victory was a Russian achievement and a symbolic flout against the All England Club’s ban on players representing Russia and Belarus.
Players from these countries were banned from Wimbledon because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Some Russian state media emphasized Rybakina’s roots in Moscow, while others preferred to call her simply “Kazakhstan’s representative.”
The last Russian woman to win a Grand Slam singles title was Maria Sharapova at the French Open in 2014. Moscow-born Sofia Kenin, who left Russia as a baby to play for the United States, won the 2020 Australian Open.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan is ecstatic about its first Grand Slam singles champion.
“Kazakhstan tennis player Elena Rybakina achieved a historic victory in the extremely prestigious Wimbledon tournament. I heartily congratulate this outstanding athlete!” This is what President Kassim-Jomart Tokayev wrote on Twitter.
Rybakina’s victory is the culmination of a long-term plan for tennis in Kazakhstan. The oil- and gas-rich Central Asian nation has a long tradition of homegrown success in sports such as boxing and cycling, but often relies on recruiting talented tennis players from Russia.
Rybakina, known for her big serve that produced a tournament-leading 253 aces this year, made the switch at 19 when her career stalled due to financial problems. The Kazakhstan Tennis Federation stepped in with an offer — representing them in exchange for the money needed to support a tennis player’s global lifestyle. Rybakina said this week that she feels like she lives on tour rather than in one place.
When Rybakina – nervous, barely smiling, looking not quite sure what she had accomplished – took to the stands on Center Court on Saturday to celebrate with her team, she hugged first KTF president Bulat Utemuratov, then Yaroslava Shvedova, the former player, who became her mentor. Shvedova, like Rybakina, was born in Moscow, moved to Kazakhstan in 2008 and won two Grand Slam doubles titles.
Rybakina’s victory also comes at a tense moment in relations between Russia and Kazakhstan.
The year began with Russia deploying troops to its Central Asian neighbor to quell protests that turned violent. The government in Kazakhstan welcomed the move, but was particularly reluctant to endorse Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began the following month. President Tokayev told Putin at a televised conference in St. Petersburg last month that Kazakhstan would not recognize the two Russian-backed separatist governments in eastern Ukraine.
Rybakina is cautious in her comments about the invasion.
“I just want the war to end as soon as possible. Peace, yes,” she said after her quarter-final match.
On the ban on players representing Russia, Rybakina said: “When I heard that, it’s not something you want to hear because we play a sport. Everyone wants to compete. They didn’t choose where they were born.”
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