DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 21, 2024

Elena Rybakina

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium

Press Conference

E. RYBAKINA/M. Frech

7-6, 3-6, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Can you begin by just describing your thoughts after the match.

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, I just came from the court. Nothing much I can describe.

Very tough physically. Happy I managed to win. For now it's surviving mode (smiling).

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. In the first set, she had the lead in the set, the lead in the tiebreak. How crucial was it for you to get that? What were you telling yourself to pull off that comeback in the first set?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, it was important of course to win the first set because it was quite tough one. I thought that maybe the second one I can try to push from the beginning. Then I was down again. It was really tough, thinking that we going to go in the third one.

But, yeah, the first one was for sure very important to at least start the second set.

Q. Last five days you played two Polish players. Can I ask you which style do you prefer, Iga or Magda? Who you think is harder player for you?

ELENA RYBAKINA: I think both of them are tough. It's always depends on the conditions. Here I would say that I still didn't get used to these courts. The movement is still a bit off. The timing... I think just physically I'm a bit tired.

I mean, just two different types of players. Definitely Iga, she's No. 1, and she's putting you a lot under pressure. Today I would say that Magdalena, she played well, but also it was a lot of unforced errors from me, maybe not the right decisions.

It's both good players and tough players to play against.

Q. 17 wins this year, fifth quarterfinal in '24. Is that good for you in terms of the momentum? Do you look back and say you can use this to fuel you to progress through tournaments?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, I'm happy that I'm still winning the matches. But I can see by the level that of course physically and everything it's dropping a bit. I don't know how much I can push and how much I can recover in this half day.

I mean, we see because, as I said before, it's good problem to have. No one expected me to play so many matches in the past two weeks. I think it's already good what I'm doing.

Whatever happens this week, I know that there is other tournaments in front. I'm not a machine that can work every day the same in the end of the day (smiling).

Q. Would you say there's pressure or focus on you to win tournaments, not just make the semifinals or the finals?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, of course every tournament I play, I want to win. Just logically I understand that I already did good in the past two weeks. Of course, I would like to win this one, too.

We need to be realistic. For now I'm focusing match by match. It's getting tougher, tougher every day. Whatever happens, we see. Then I take some rest and prepare for other ones.