"Hopefully it’s not going to be worse tomorrow": Elena Rybakina sends alarm bells with shoulder statement after reaching final at WTA Finals

Elena Rybakina booked her place in the 2025 WTA Finals championship match after a tense semifinal victory, edging through one of the most dramatic encounters of the week against Jessica Pegula.

Speaking courtside after the win, the Kazakh admitted that while the match was thrilling for spectators, it was far more nerve-wracking from her side of the net. She saw off Pegula coming from a set down.

She lost the first 6-4 but came back and very much played a game of chess on the court managing to trump Pegula down the stretch with late breaks of serve and pounced on mistakes from her opponent. Albeit she went from being a late addition to the field to en route to potentially winning the title and stands one game away from doing it.

“It depends on the moment, of course,” Rybakina said with a smile when asked whether she enjoyed such intense battles. “Some rallies were really crazy — and some of them I also won! So yeah, there’s a little bit of enjoyment, but at the same time a lot of nerves. When the score is so close, it’s not easy. I’m just glad I managed to stay focused and win it.”

The world No. 4, who has been playing through visible discomfort, was once again seen with heavy taping on her shoulder during the match. Asked about her physical condition, Rybakina admitted that recovery has become a balancing act at the tail end of a long season. It sends alarm bells though as she gets ready to face either a power hungry Sabalenka or a master tactician in Amanda Anisimova. Both will take advantage though if Rybakina is less than 100%. Something she will need to think through with her team before tomorrow's showdown.

“Hopefully I can recover for tomorrow,” she said. “It’s been a lot of matches, and I also serve big, so I had to adjust a little bit. For now, I’m pushing myself — it’s one last match left, so I’ll try to do everything possible with the team to recover. At the same time, we don’t want to make it worse before the offseason. We’ll see how it goes, but for now, I’ve been managing, and hopefully it’s not going to be worse tomorrow.”

Rybakina, already a Grand Slam champion, now has the opportunity to add the prestigious WTA Finals trophy to her collection — a prize that has so far eluded her despite her consistent success on the biggest stages.

“It would be amazing, of course,” she reflected. “It’s not easy at all to lose in a final, even though you’ve come all the way to the end. But there are so many tough opponents, and whoever wins this match, it’s going to be a really tough battle. I’ll just try to do my best, give it all, and we’ll see what happens.”

With one final challenge ahead, Rybakina will hope her trademark composure and heavy serve can carry her through to one of the biggest titles of her career — and end the season on a high.