Elena Rybakina parents are Andrey Rybakina and Ekaterina Rybakina. Elena grew up in Russia with a sister named Anna.
The Kazakhstani tennis star won the 2022 Wimbledon singles last year after defeating Ons Jabeur in the final. However, her celebration went cold, and tears rolled down her eyes as she could not celebrate it with her loved ones.
It was a misfortune last year for the tennis professional as her father and mother stemmed from attending the tournament in the United Kingdom because they were from Russia.
The Russia-Ukraine war resulted in banning Russian from traveling across Europe. As a result, Andrey and Ekaterina could not fly to witness their daughter's glory.
The current Kazakhstani No. 1 has reached the semi-final of the ongoing Australian Open singles after a comfortable victory against Austrian player Jalena Ostapenka on Tuesday, January 23.
Elena Rybakina Childhood In Moscow Russia
Elena Rybakina was born to her mom Ekaterina and dad Andrey Rybakin in the Russian capital of Moscow.
She spent most of her formative years in Russia before migrating to Kazakhstan. Even as a young child, Rybakina was drawn to sports. She played several sports with her sister Anna in her childhood.
Elena was fond of ice skating and gymnastics, but she finally decided to focus on tennis as a profession due to her tall height. The reason was that her towering flexibility became an issue in playing either of those sports.
Disappointed with that, her father, Andrey, recommended trying tennis. And Rybakina took up tennis when she was eight years old, and today she is a decorated professional. She did not begin receiving one-on-one instruction until she was a junior player. Elena practiced in groups up to the age of 18.
Due to her high school education and the necessity of juggling her training with her coursework, she had little time to practice tennis. Her innate skill and dedication allowed her to overcome these obstacles and become a great player.
Andrey Said Rybakina Wanted To Quit Tennis
Andrey said her younger daughter Rybakina wanted to quit her profession six months before her Wimbledon triumph.
In an interview with Sports Express Russia, Andrey gave a deep insight into what happened to Elena before she played in the 2022 Wimbledon. Before her famous win in July 2022, she had no major competitions.
Rybakina became frustrated with the results despite giving all to it. She wanted to win, but it was not happening to her. Thus, she thought of quitting tennis, but Andrey and Ekaterina stood by her in those difficult times and convinced her never to give up.
And fortunately, the 23-year-old bounced back and took home her maiden grand slam victory. She now has no desire to retire and is hungry for more titles.
Elena Rybakina Sister Anna Rybakina
Rybakuna older sister Anna Rybakina is a former tennis professional from Russia. She currently works as a digital creator.
On her Instagram bio, she has put an emoji of the ringed planet Saturn in between the middle of her name. As her social media handles go by Ann, it should also be noted that she prefers to go by Ann rather than her full name Anna.
As a digital content creator, Ann has a lot to handle. Her tasks revolve around creating, designing and producing various forms of content such as videos, graphics, animations, websites, and other digital media types to engage more users.
Her Instagram has 2.3K followers and 64 posts. She has uploaded a few pictures with her sibling Elena in the past. Anna shared a photo in August 2013, when the two went swimming.
She can be seen in most of her photographs with her friend Dasha Rastegaeva. Starting from June 2015, when Ann posted a first-ever picture with Dasha, they have been together in different places.
Rybakina Family Background
Rybakina came from a Russian household in Moscow, Russia. She has four members in her family.
Though she was not raised in a sports enthusiast home, Rybakina and her sister showed athletics DNA right from an early age. Under the supervision of Andrey and Ekaterina, they practice aerobics and ice skating.
Why Did Rybakina Change Nationality?
Rybakina switched her nationality from Russian to Kazakhstan in 2018 to enable different prospects to play university tennis in the US.
She had already created turmoil in the Russian tennis Federation by winning many major titles at a tender age. Thus, she wished to take it to the global stage. Thus, changing her citizenship was the key to doing it, as Russians were prevented from entering lots of tournaments.
Elena represents Kazakhstan in her professional tennis career but lived most of her life in Russia. When she turned 19, with support from the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, she changed her nationality to Kazakhstani.
The significant benefit she enjoyed from the switch was in last season's Wimbledon. All the players from Russia were prohibited from parking in the tournaments because the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine.
And since Rybakina holds Kazakhstani citizenship, she was able to participate in the competition and eventually won it, becoming the first Kazakhstani tennis player to win a major title.
Elena Rybakina Dating Life
Rybakina does not have a boyfriend. She is currently single and is primarily focused on her tennis career.
She is one of the rising stars in the tennis world and has achieved a great deal of success at a young age. It's not uncommon for professional athletes to put their careers first and focus on their training and competitions.
The 23-year-old is mindful of the importance of time and is focused on her profession. Being an elite athlete requires a significant amount of time, dedication and hard work to achieve success.
