Elena
Rybakina spoke about the female "Big-Three" and the comparisons with
Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic.
The Kazakh
player is at
Wimbledon to defend the title she won last year, which was her
first Grand Slam. Rybakina has established herself as one of the favorites in
every tournament she plays, and along with
Iga Swiatek and
Aryna Sabalenka,
they have formed a rivalry in the past year, being the favorites in every
tournament they enter.
Due to the
youth of these players and the possibility of them dominating the WTA tour in
the coming years, they have been compared to the male "Big Three,"
namely
Roger Federer,
Rafael Nadal, and
Novak Djokovic, who formed the greatest
rivalry of the 21st century, dominating the tour for 20 years.
When asked
about these comparisons, Rybakina mentioned that she hasn't heard much about
the topic as she doesn't follow the internet closely.
“I hear it
only on press conferences. I don’t follow much on internet..I think it’s too
early to say anything about 3 players. It’s not like it’s Roger Federer or
Djokovic. That’s still too far. Anyone still can beat anyone”
Swiatek,
Sabalenka, and Rybakina are currently ranked as the world No. 1, 2, and 3,
respectively, and they have collectively won six Grand Slam titles, with
Swiatek being the standout with four of those victories.
Rybakina
had a successful debut in the first round of Wimbledon against American player
Shelby Rogers, who posed several challenges. The defending champion at the All
England Club had to come from a set down to win a tough match by the score of
4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
In the
second round of the tournament, the 24-year-old tennis player will have to wait
for her opponent between Alize Cornet and Nao Hibino. Cornet is currently
ranked as the world No. 74, while Hibino entered the tournament as a lucky
loser following the withdrawal of Montenegrin player Danka Kovinic.
