In form Rybakina happy on clay: “Whatever the surface, I think I can beat anyone”

The Wimbledon champion says she feels as comfortable on clay as she does on grass

AI / Reuters / Panoramic

May 26, 2023

When Elena Rybakina won Wimbledon last summer, it seemed her game was perfectly suited to grass; big serve, good movement and a high level of comfort at the net.

But after reaching the Australian Open final and winning in Rome, the Kazakh has proved she can play on any surface, which makes her a huge threat at the French Open, starting on Sunday.

Rome ✈️ Paris

How far can Elena Rybakina go at #RolandGarros this year? 👀 pic.twitter.com/4RMvKXgrp4
— wta (@WTA) May 25, 2023

“For sure if I play my best, which it’s impossible to play every time good and feel great, I feel for sure no matter the surface, if I play my best, I can beat anyone,” Rybakina told reporters at Roland-Garros on Friday.

Rybakina: “I knew I could play good on clay”

Rybakina said she has always felt comfortable on clay.

“On clay I think I won my first WTA (in Bucharest in 2019),” she said. “So since then I knew that I can play good on clay also. Just I need to prepare differently. Maybe I need more time for the preparation. And also experience for the past few years.

“Overall I think that I’m improving a lot physically, and also I played a lot of matches this year. No matter the surface, I feel like it’s anyway giving me confidence. We’re trying to improve all the aspects of the game and slowly, I think it’s a lot still to work, but everything is going on the right direction.”