Elena Rybakina knows exactly what she wants to accomplish in the next couple of years as the 26-year-old would like to win another Grand Slam and land an Olympic gold medal, before shifting her focus to becoming a mother and starting a family.
In a span of six months, Rybakina made two Grand Slam finals. In her maiden Grand Slam final, the Kazakh recovered from a set down to beat Ons Jabeur and lift the 2022 Wimbledon crown. Half a year later, she also made her first Australian Open final before falling just short to Aryna Sabalenka in a tight three-setter.
When it comes to the Olympics, Rybakina was close to winning the event in her debut but ultimately failed to secure even a bronze medal - the Kazakh was beaten by Belinda Bencic in the Tokyo Olympics semifinal before also ending on the losing side to Elina Svitolina in the bronze medal match. Last year, the world No. 5 was slated to make her second Olympic appearance in Paris, but was forced to withdraw due to illness.
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Rybakina: I want to a Grand Slam, the Olympics... Then start a family
"There's probably more than one answer, but I want to combine it all. I'd also like to win a Grand Slam, an Olympics, and, of course, start a family later. I think everything will come with time. It's hard to predict when I'll retire, but I'd like all these things to come together," the 26-year-old told TengriNews.
In the same interview, Rybakina also addressed collecting the single biggest-ever prize money in tennis history. She collected a stunning $5.2 million for going a perfect 5-5 at the WTA Finals in Riyadh this year.
"How fair is this? I think we're aiming for more tournaments to increase their prize pools. So, I think it's just a matter of time. In a couple of years, I'm sure other tournaments will follow suit. But, of course, the prize money is very large, and I'm incredibly happy that I managed to achieve this result," Rybakina said.
