DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 19, 2025

Elena Rybakina

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium

Press Conference

E. RYBAKINA/P. Badosa

4-6, 7-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Elena, can you describe your thoughts on the match.

ELENA RYBAKINA: Crazy match. Really happy that I won it. Yeah, hopefully I can recover for my next one.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. During the six match points, are you aware all that time you're facing match points?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Yeah, of course. I had a lot of chances before to finish the set or go more up in the score.

But yeah, when it was already match points for her, I had nothing to lose so I was just playing point by point. Yeah, somehow managed to made it even. Then, yeah, played better in the important points. Especially on the tiebreak, I feel like my serve really helped me a lot.

Q. Are you telling yourself point by point or is it just naturally that you play it point by point?

ELENA RYBAKINA: No, of course I'm trying to focus, telling myself just now it's only this point, then next one. Physically, I was already tired also. As I said, I'm still not at my best. Physically was not easy.

So yeah, I was just trying to push myself. Definitely it was not easy. It's always tough battles against Paula.

Q. Why was it difficult physically? Are you feeling unwell or drained?

ELENA RYBAKINA: No, I feel okay, but I just know that fitness-wise I'm not at my best. This is something I need to work on a little bit after this tournament because I have some time before Indian Wells.

Yeah, she's also great player, has very good serve. I'm happy that I made it through.

Q. I don't know if you know about the incident that happened with Emma yesterday, something with a fan, maybe threatening her or something.

ELENA RYBAKINA: I honestly don't know much about the situation.

Q. How safe in general do you feel around the fans at tournaments? Have you ever had any scary interaction or something that worried you?

ELENA RYBAKINA: I never had anything with a fans, like anything bad. But I feel safe in Dubai. As I said before, it's like my second home. So I really like it here.

Of course, when it's crowd, you never know who you can meet. Yeah, for me it's okay.

Q. When you have a match like today where you were one point away from losing multiple times, does it free you up going into the next one, to feel like you almost were out and now...

ELENA RYBAKINA: Not really because I want to win of course ever match I play. Today it definitely went a bit my way. Happy I saved all those match points. But tomorrow is a new day, another match.

Yeah, I want to win as much as I wanted today. Yeah, it's just a question of the recovery.

Q. Take us through that moment saving so many match points back to back. How do you manage to keep yourself together and serve it out with back-to-back aces?

ELENA RYBAKINA: I mean, as I say, it's a little bit of luck should be also on your side. I feel like I was playing some really good points, but it was a lot of ups and downs. I needed just some extra push, extra game. I was always close even to win the first set. Then it was just a lot of ups and downs.

I was focusing on the serve. I think the serve went throughout the match little bit better. Yeah, just was fighting for every point.

Q. You mentioned that you love Dubai. Any particular place that resonates with you, that you love to visit in Dubai?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, I spend here a lot of time during pre-season, off-season. I like the weather, at least at that time. I like beach. Just generally a lot of things you can do here in Dubai.

Yeah, plus I got my place also, so it feels nicer to be home.

Q. When you're facing match points, what do you think about how to finish the point or be relaxed?

ELENA RYBAKINA: When it was my match point or...

Q. On your match point.

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, I just knew I need to serve it out. Definitely because when the rally starts, it's not easy against Paula. She puts a lot of pressure also during the point.

Yeah, I was focusing on my serve, then just point by point.

Q. (Question about the medical timeout.)

ELENA RYBAKINA: I didn't see her struggling after so much. Honestly, we both were not fresh, for sure, in the last set. It's not easy when there is timeout and you sitting waiting. But in the end I try to stay focus.

Again, it was too many ups and downs and just generally not easy physically, so...

Q. If you're comfortable talking about it, there was another article that came out yesterday about your relationship with Stefano. I was wondering if you read it and if you had any comments or thoughts on what was written.

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, it's a lot of articles coming out. I honestly not sure about which one you're talking about.

But I don't want to comment this anymore.

Q. How much are you on social media? Do you go through messages that fans send? Have you received threatening or negative messages?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, I think everybody faces some negative comments, especially if you lose the match, from some betters. Also, I mean, I see all the bad comments. I see positive comments. But I'm trying to not focus on it so much.

Q. I'm writing a piece about supplements in tennis, how much they're helping players or how some players don't take them at all. In your particular case, do you depend on them? Have they ever helped you with a specific issue, like insomnia?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, I'm taking supplements, vitamins. I think it's very important. Honestly, I don't know I would survive without any of these because it's not easy traveling. Plus I have some kind of allergies. Just generally the health is not maybe the strongest. Very easy to get some viruses. I need to take all of that. I think it's important.

Q. Is it easy to trust? Obviously there's been contamination cases. Some players are paranoid. Is there anything extra that you're doing to trust everything that you're taking?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, I think everybody really worried about these kind of things. But honestly I'm taking for long time more or less the same things.

You always think in the back of your mind about not leaving the bottle and things like this. But nothing extra was doing latest.