"I don't take it to heart, even if it was actually said to me" - Elena Rybakina opens up on controversial comments made by Sabalenka at WTA Finals

Elena Rybakina has responded to the comments made by Aryna Sabalenka after her WTA Finals triumph over the world number one.

The Kazakh only just qualified for the event after a perfectly timed rich vein of form in the Asian swing accumulated her enough points to leapfrog Mirra Andreeva into the top eight in the Race to Riyadh. Once in Saudi Arabia, Rybakina was untouchable. She made it out of her group without losing a single match, defeating Amanda Anisimova, Iga Swiatek and second-alternative Ekaterina Alexandrova. She got past a resilient Jessica Pegula in the semi-finals ahead of a showdown against Sabalenka.

In commanding fashion, Rybakina took down the four-time Grand Slam champion to win her maiden WTA Finals title. It is the second biggest victory of her career behind the Wimbledon glory she enjoyed back in 2022, while earning a ridiculous $5.235 million for winning the event unbeaten - a new tennis record.

In an interview with Tengrinews.kz, Rybakina looked back on her up and down season with a lot of pride. "Before the start of the season, the preparation was different than before. Plus, there were changes in the team. It was also time to get used to the person, to understand. There were some different moments," Rybakina admitted.

"Ultimately, after playing a lot of matches, we managed to find our rhythm and work on it, even though there were so many tournaments. I'm really happy that my season turned out so well. This happened even though, by the end, I was already thinking about how to rest. You're tired, but you're with the team. I'm also very grateful to them – we didn't have much time. Playing tournaments, we were able to improve some things in my game. And it all came together at the end of the season. Plus, the support of the Kazakhstani fans was really felt; of course, that gave me strength. I'm also incredibly grateful to them."

It was not just the 26-year-old's biggest payday in her career, but the biggest pay check dished out in tennis, full stop. The remarkable run she produced was handsomely rewarded with a large sum of money.

When asked if this amount of money was fair, she believed that other tournaments will soon boost their winnings. "I think we're aiming for more tournaments to increase their prize pools. So, I think it's just a matter of time. In a couple of years, I'm sure other tournaments will follow suit," Rybakina stated. "But, of course, the prize money is very large, and I'm incredibly happy that I managed to achieve this result. The previous generation's struggle to raise the prize money has now begun to bear fruit. It seems to me that everything is moving in one direction, and it will become more stable in the future, maybe not in a year or two, but in the future 100 percent."

This was commented out loud by an emotional Sabalenka after her final defeat in Riyadh, in despair after her second loss in a WTA Final. The phrase is a Russian saying meaning that someone not successful or skilled enough to succeed triumphs once every so often. It caused a huge stir online, with tennis fans slamming Sabalenka for the comment directed at her victorious opponent.

Despite this, Rybakina shrugged it off. "They told me after the match, but it was in context. We've played with Aryna many times, and more than once this year, so I don't really focus on it. I have good feelings for both Aryna and her team, so I don't take it to heart, even if it was actually said to me."

Rybakina looks to be making a trend of kissing the trophy after jubilantly lifting it. She admitted that it was not something she had planned. "I don’t even know, it just so happens that whenever you take a photo with the cup, they then ask you to 'kiss the cup,' and then there are these photos," Rybakina said. "Most of them start posting at some point, and I posted a couple of them, and I realised that maybe I'll keep the first few photos like that on my page, and the next ones will be of me simply holding the trophy or with the team. It just sort of happened that way, I didn't really think about it."

One of these pictures came after her success in the Stuttgart Open back in 2024. Along with the trophy, she got her hands on a Porsche Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo worth €123,400. Despite not having her driving licence when she earned the treasured prize, she unveiled that it has come in rather handy in recent times. "No, I haven't sold it," she confirmed. "I'm driving it—I'm just starting preseason training, and I'm in Dubai, so I use this car for all my travel."