Following her rapid ascent up the WTA rankings, Elena Rybakina has divulged more information about her past, stating she did not begin training to become a professional tennis player till the age of 17.

The Kazakhstani shocked the tennis community by winning her maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon last year, and has been entrenched in the Top 10 since her impressive victory. However, the 24-year recently revealed to fans that she picked up her career as a professional tennis player at a later age than her counterparts.

The World No.4 has been dealing with some injuries as of late, and hinted this could be due to her picking up professional tennis later in life, as compared to her WTA colleagues.

"All my injuries are a result of becoming a professional tennis player at a relatively late stage of my career," she admitted. "Not many people know I started practicing professionally around age 17. Before that, I only practiced in groups.. I didn’t have a private coach. I also went to school & had to balance it. My fitness level couldn’t be at the highest point. So I think a few injuries I am now experiencing are coming from the past."

Rybakina swept past Marta Kostyuk in the first round of the 2023 US Open, and next faces Australian Ajla Tomljanovic for a spot in the third round.