"I wasn't surprised": Rybakina on disrespectful court placing at Australian Open despite being Grand Slam champion

Elena Rybakina started her Australian Open journey on court number 13 which many found disrespectful considering she's the reigning Wimbledon champion.

It was a bit odd to see Rybakina play on that court considering the circumstances and it was a story picked up by many tennis reports. She was questioned about that during the Australian Open but didn't seem bothered by it and she once again confirmed it didn't bother her. Tennis in the past years taught her there are many things you can't control:

"This time, I would say I wasn’t surprised because I think I was doing really well the past three years, if you check the results, and there was always something you cannot control; whether it was Covid or something else, you can get injured here or there, so many things are always happening. So with all this experience, I would say this time I really didn’t care on which court I’ll play."

One thing that did bother her was her ranking. She admitted to feeling disappointed about not having the 2000 Wimbledon points count which would have helped her in draws. Asked about finally seeing her ranking improve, Rybakina confirmed it was a relief:

"Probably yes, because you can know your schedule better [when you have a higher ranking]. For example, now in Doha, I am still in qualies, so you cannot really predict, but if you’re top 10, you can plan easier. You have this advantage sometimes not to play the first round, so you have a few more extra days to practice. If you’re travelling, that helps."