A video
shared on social media by
Elena Rybakina's sister, Ana, shows the 2022
Wimbledon champion dancing and singing during a 50 Cent concert amidst the
World Tennis League in Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia. On the first day, Rybakina
secured the decisive victory for her team in the Super Shoot-out tiebreak by
defeating Iga Swiatek.
Following
the conclusion of the first day of competition, the World Tennis League
features concerts by renowned artists as part of the entertainment, and
Rybakina was seen thoroughly enjoying the performance by the American rapper.
Rybakina in
the World Tennis League
The
tournament features four mixed teams with two women and two men. This year, the
Kazakh player is part of the Falcons team alongside Taylor Fritz, Sumit Nagal,
and Sorana Cirstea. In the first round, Rybakina played women's doubles with
the Romanian, and they defeated Caroline Garcia and Iga Swiatek from the Hawks
team.
In the
singles match, she fell 4-6 against the Polish world No. 1. In a format that
considers the games each team wins, after the match, the teams were tied at
24-24. Consequently, Rybakina played a decisive tie-break against Swiatek, and
this time Rybakina emerged victorious (10-8), securing the win for her team.
The second
day against the Falcons was not as positive. Once again, she played women's
doubles and they got the victory against Paula Badosa and Sabalenka. Then, in
the women's singles, she lost against the Belarusian, leading to a decisive
tie-break for the second consecutive day. However, this time Rybakina couldn't
secure the victory, and the series ended in favor of their opponents.
Rybakina's 2024 Schedule
World No. 4
has her early-year schedule defined, and just like in 2023, she will play two
preparation tournaments before heading to the first Grand Slam of the year, the
Australian Open. First, she will compete in the WTA 500 Brisbane International
starting on January 1, where she is the second seed after Aryna Sabalenka.
Then, she
will travel to Adelaide and be the top seed in a tough main draw featuring nine
top-15 players. Afterward, she will head to Melbourne for the Aussie Open,
where she defends a significant number of points after reaching the final in
2023 (a loss against Sabalenka).