MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 1, 2024

Elena Rybakina

Press Conference

E. RYBAKINA/Y. Putintseva

4-6, 7-6, 7-5

THE MODERATOR: A very tough match. Obviously you didn't have a win against her previously. What was the difference today?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, honestly, I didn't play my best of course. I feel very tired. Happy that in the end I pulled through the match, and managed to win.

But, yeah, at 5-2 it wasn't easy. I think I already was without any emotions and I was just trying to do what I supposed to do, and it turned out with a win.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Just wondering what were you telling yourself when you saved those two match points? You seemed ice cold at that moment. You didn't seem panicking at all. Up until she saved three match points when you were serving it out, it was all going your way.

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, yeah, I didn't panic at all. At 5-2, not much you can do. I had the opportunities first, second set. We were both fighting.

As I say, I was really tired. I think these tournaments which became so long, it's not very helpful, I would say, because if you're fit, you're fit, you're going to play every day and the tournament finishes. But to stay in one place for almost two weeks, and it's not like here you finish and you go rest. You go and you play another mandatory one. That's definitely not making it easy.

Yeah, I was not there with the legs definitely in the match. She's a tough opponent. She's a fighter, and she was playing well.

Yeah, in the third set it was very quick when I started to lose these three games in a row, 5-2 down. Yeah, after that, I think I just didn't have any more emotions, no frustration or nothing. I was just going for every point. Was trying to do what I supposed to do, and then whatever happens happened. I won the match, so...

Q. Is it easier for you to go into that robot mode, that automatic mode, given how much you have won this year? You're playing so well, obviously you have confidence, but also, I could imagine that a player who didn't win as many matches would start to panic a little bit more because you feel like you need the win. Maybe you don't have that pressure right now of I have to win, I have to win, I have to win?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Yeah, definitely don't have any pressure, because I think I'm playing well, and it's just always the question how you feel physically, mentally. I mean, the general public, they see us play. Of course they don't know how tough it is to be on the tour and how tough it is being a tennis player.

Some weeks are good; some weeks are not. You cannot go always up, so I knew that I'm going to lose a match, and today I was very close to lose and didn't happen. I'm really proud that I managed to turn around the match and also of course with the help of the team and everything.

But, yeah, as I said, it's becoming very tough physically and mentally, and the most important for me to try to recover. Yeah.

Q. I'm going to tell you two stats. I want you to tell me if either one surprises you and which one you're more proud of. You have won your last 16 consecutive matches on clay. Since you lost to Blinkova in Australia, you have won every deciding set you have played. You're 12-0. Are you surprised by either one? Which one kind of means more to you, I guess?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, honestly, both stats are pretty amazing. I would say I don't really look at this because you play so many matches, and every time you go on the court you need to forget what happened before. So I'm not really sitting there and trying to read all the stats, but it sounds pretty amazing.

Yeah, last year I was playing well on clay too. I think now we are doing good job also, even though it's not easy, but of course I'm really proud and happy.

Yeah, about the tiebreaks, honestly, that was an epic match, and I don't know what happened in Melbourne. Of course Anna, she played well, and it was I think never woman's tennis did such a long tiebreak. But again, you need to forget about it and keep on going.

Yeah, I think it's great that I'm managing to win these tiebreaks.

Q. You mentioned that this tournament is very long and that another mandatory event is waiting. If you would be in charge, what would your ideal tour schedule be?

ELENA RYBAKINA: I think like it was before if we have two weeks' tournament, Indian Wells, Miami, it's fine, but to make these tournaments like Madrid and Rome also long, and then you have French Open, it's kind of big events.

With the new rule of change, we have a lot of mandatory stuff where you cannot really choose and pick what you want to play, because, I mean, at some point it's fair enough that people choose what they want to play or not, because if the tour is good for everyone, then people will want to play. But now we kind of in a opposite direction where we have to, because everyone is chasing ranking and everyone is chasing some points and so on.

But if it would be open for everyone, then it's kind of fair enough. You want to play, you play. If you don't want to play, you don't play.

So I think there is a lot to improve in the tour, and I spoke a lot last year. I honestly don't have much energy to fight through and say my opinion anymore, because it's not that easy to change something. I feel like I'm wasting more energy trying to do something different or to talk with the people.

So, I mean, I'm just following the rules and trying to do best out of what I have.

Q. I want to ask you about Rafa Nadal. It was his last game here in Spain, here in Madrid, and it was very emotional. I want to know if you have watched it and what do you think about it?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Yeah, I actually watched it a little bit yesterday, but then I went to sleep. I didn't finish till the end.

Yeah, it's pretty amazing to see him play. It's a pity, of course, because you want to see him play many more years (smiling), but I think he had a great career. He's such a legend, and so many young players look up to him.

So I think it's great to see him play here, and hopefully French Open he can also show some good tennis. Yeah, let's see. But it's always nice to see him play.

Q. Looking ahead, a quick turnaround, 24 hours, semifinal, and you'll face either Aryna or Mirra. If it is Aryna, you guys have had some big, epic battles. What do you think will be the key here in Madrid? Do the conditions favor one of you more than the other? Would you look forward to playing her in these conditions versus other conditions? How do you kind of see it?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, I think that she definitely has confidence here since she won this tournament. It's difficult to judge, because when you play against the best players, you need to bring your best also.

I know that from today's match, I'm not 100% sure how I'm gonna feel tomorrow, but definitely we both play aggressive and everyone is going to stick to their style of the game. It's going to be a lot about the serve. First few balls, of course, so who is going to try to move opponent first.

Yeah, again, it's just the most important to try to recover and, yeah, be physically fresh to give it a fight.

Q. You touched on it in your first answer. You said that at one point today you played without emotion. Just wanted to understand whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, honestly, I wouldn't say that it's a good thing, because I think it's nice when you are always hungry to win, when you really want to do best, but when you are already at the point where you are so tired that at 5-2, you're just, okay, if I'm going to lose, I'm going to have some vacation, because the next tournament is coming.

This is what I was trying to say about the tour that I think for the players that's not the best. If you want to see good quality of tennis, if you want to see players play long their career, not finish early maybe as Ash did, I think, in my opinion, it would be nice to change something. Of course public wants to see good tennis, good quality, but for the players, it's not easy.

I mean, of course I'm not here to complain. I'm playing and making good money, but, I mean, I would say that it's not the best thing when you are kind of without emotions and you're just like on remote control going to play.