Elena Rybakina, the Wimbledon champion, has found that her big serve and heavy groundstrokes can also be damaging on clay courts. In the Italian Open final, Ukrainian opponent Anhelina Kalinina retired early in the second set due to a left thigh injury. Rybakina had dominated the match with 21-9 winners. She stated that she can play well on all surfaces and acknowledged that she needs to be more physically ready and have more preparation for clay courts.
Rybakina has had a successful year so far, having reached the final of the Australian Open, won an elite title in Indian Wells and been the runner-up in Miami. She is proud of her ability to maintain her level of play and sees room for improvement in the future.
On Monday, Rybakina will move up to a career-high No. 4 in the rankings and will be a contender at the French Open, which starts next weekend. Kalinina believes that Rybakina has a good chance of winning the French Open with her powerful serve and ability to make winners.
A Disappointing End to the Final
The final was delayed by rain and began late on Saturday evening, finishing after midnight on Sunday morning. Rybakina was leading 6-4, 1-0, 15-0 when Kalinina called for a trainer and could not continue due to her injury. The crowd, who had waited in the rain for hours before the night session started, whistled as Kalinina apologized for not being able to play during the awards ceremony.
Rybakina earned her biggest title on clay, with her only other trophy on the surface coming in Bucharest in 2019. Kalinina, who was ranked 47th, was playing in the biggest final of her career and had been dedicating her performances to her war-torn country. Her family home was destroyed in a Russian attack last year, and her elderly grandparents had to relocate from the southern city of Nova Kakhovka to Kyiv, which is held by Russian forces. Her parents work as tennis coaches in Kyiv, and she had mentioned on Friday that there was a “huge, huge bomb near them, near their academy” a few days ago.
Kalinina had spent over four hours longer on court than Rybakina entering the final, having won the longest match on the women’s circuit this season against Beatriz Haddad Maia in the quarterfinals that lasted for 3 hours and 41 minutes. She also required three sets to beat Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova in an emotionally charged semifinal. Kalinina felt that she had reached her physical limit during the final.
Elena Rybakina’s big serve and heavy groundstrokes have proven to be effective on clay courts, as demonstrated in her dominating performance in the Italian Open final. Despite the disappointing end to the final, Rybakina is proud of her level of play and sees room for improvement in the future. Kalinina’s dedication to her war-torn country and her inspiring journey to the final deserve recognition, and her perseverance and determination in the face of adversity should be an inspiration to all.
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