Elena Rybakina admits she is "not the freshest" heading into the WTA Finals but highlights her mindset is to try to get the job done in Riyadh.
During the Asian swing, Rybakina competed in four tournaments. In her last tournament played, the Kazakh tennis star reached the semifinal at the WTA 500 tournament in Tokyo before withdrawing due to a back injury. Although the 26-year-old didn't win the Tokyo title, she accomplished her main goal in the Japanese capital since she needed to reach the semis to grab the last WTA Finals ticket.
Eight days after pulling out of Tokyo, Rybakina is set to be back in action and meet Amanda Anisimova in her WTA Finals opener.
"It wasn't an easy trip, that's for sure. A bit of jet lag. I had a couple of days off. I would say, of course, not the freshest, but I think when the competition starts, it doesn't matter, you try to do your best. Yeah, we will see what's going to happen," the 26-year-old said in Riyadh.
Rybakina acknowledges her 'challenging season'
The start of the year was pretty turbulent for Rybakina with everything surrounding her coaching staff. But since Stefano Vukov won his appeal and officially got back into the Kazakh's team, the former world No. 3 started look better and it positively impacted her results.
"This season was challenging. I won't say it was my best season definitely. But I'm happy that in the end I qualified also and I'm here. I played full season. Didn't skip much. Played a lot," the 2022 Wimbledon champion noted.
Rybakina won the WTA 500 tournament in Ningbo before winning two additional matches in Tokyo. Since the Kazakh pulled out before meeting Linda Noskova in the Tokyo semifinal, that means she ended on the winning side in each of her last six matches played.
