Rybakina laments health issues following Roland-Garros loss

Elena Rybakina lost to Jasmine Paolini in the Roland-Garros quarter-finals on Wednesday afternoon. Afterward Rybakina talked about not feeling her best.

Elena Rybakina at Roland-Garros in 2024 (Gepa/Panoramic)

Ricky Dimon

June 5, 2024

Elena Rybakina has been less than 100 percent from a health standpoint throughout the spring season and that same story continued at Roland-Garros. Even while winning her first four matches, Rybakina never seemed to be at her best.

Ultimately, it caught up with the Kazakh in listless performance during her quarter-final contest on Wednesday that resulted in a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 loss to Jasmine Paolini. Rybakina committed 48 unforced errors and was unusually woeful on her own serve, winning just 59 percent of her first-serve points and 38 percent when she had to toss in a second delivery. Paolini broke her seven times.

As she had talked about in previous Paris press-conferences, Rybakina later admitted to be struggling physically.

“I think in the end my legs were not there,” the world No 4 explained. “No matter which conditions, if it’s slow or fast, I should have been moving better…. So I’m not really happy with the performance, but it is what it is. It’s tennis. Not every day you can play good.

“As I was saying, I was struggling a little bit with the health issues past few weeks — I think it’s just all together. But in the end no matter all these things, which were maybe happening outside of the court, I managed to get to the quarters. I think it’s pretty good result.”

the schedule is not easy. At the end of the day, everybody is trying to manage as best as possible. I think I’ve played a lot.
Elena Rybakina

Rybakina’s physical ailments date back to when she withdrew from Indian Wells in early March, citing an illness. The 24-year-old did well to recover and reach the final in Miami, but her clay-court swing included a withdrawal from Rome — also because of illness.

She was asked on Wednesday about her specific problems.

“Well, I’m not going to go deep in this topic for sure, but I’ve been working a lot and I think there is a lot of ups and downs. It’s always different, but as I always say, the schedule is not easy. At the end of the day, everybody is trying to manage as best as possible. I think I’ve played a lot. As I said, if the body is on the limit, I can’t go on the court. If I’m not 100 percent ready, then it’s a risk to even get bigger injuries or something.

“For now it’s been health (problems) with allergies (and) sleeping — so it’s a little bit different from maybe last year when I had back problems. I heal.It’s always ups and downs. It’s tennis, so we just trying to find the best possible way for me to prepare and be ready for big events like Grand Slams and 1000 events.”