"For now I feel comfortable with all the attention": Rybakina aims to strike a balance with recent WTA rise

Elena Rybakina is quickly becoming one of the most recognisable names in the tennis world and it's attention that she's comfortable with at the moment.

The Kazakh player found stardom when she won Wimbledon last year but even before she showed a lot of promise. From a deep run at the Olympic Games to some really strong showings on the WTA Tour as well, Rybakina has been proving herself for a long time. She's taken a step forward this year with another big trophy in Indian Wells.

Speaking about her rise Rybakina admitted that the attention is something you get used too:

“(The attention and focus on me), for sure these kind of things is a case of getting used to but still I don’t have so much attention compared to other players but yes for sure this is something I’m getting used to and for sure it is just the experience."

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She's also been quite popular with younger players and generations who cite the way she plays as an inspiration and it's something she thinks is very nice:

“It’s really nice to think that you’re an inspiration for someone. I would not say that I am very, how would you say, the person who likes to be kind of on the stage because sometimes it can be too much but other times it might not. It’s important to keep a balance and for now I feel comfortable, with all that attention."

Asked about her goals, Rybakina said:

“I think the end goal is to be number one like for many players but it’s still far. There’s a lot of other things to improve and work on but this is the end goal I think … and for sure more Grand Slams.”

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