1997 US Open runner-up Greg Rusedski is already tipping Elena Rybakina to win Wimbledon and also adds that he would not be surprised at all to see the Kazakh go all the way at the Australian Open.
The world No. 5 went through a rollercoaster in early 2025 and struggled with her results, but finished her season on a high after winning her maiden WTA Finals title.
"She had a great finish to the season where she beat Sabalenka in the finals, Rusedski said on his podcast.
The start of the 2025 season was dramatic for Rybakina, who wasn't allowed to have Stefano Vukov in her team because the WTA investigated the Croatian coach for possibly breaching the conduct policy. Goran Ivanisevic wasn't happy with the fact that the Kazakh wanted to return Vukov to her team and he left after the Australian Open.
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Vukov ended up being banned for a year and Rybakina continued to struggle with her consistency in the next couple of months. However, after a successful appeal, the Croatian coach returned to the Tour in August. That made wonders for the Kazakh, who won Ningbo and the WTA Finals, as well as returned to the top-10.
Rusedski noted that the former world No. 3 looked like a completely different player in late 2025 and therefore he thinks the 26-year-old will be a major contender for the biggest titles in 2026.
Rusedski: Rybakina is the hot tip to win Wimbledon
Since then her results have improved dramatically and I think with that partnership she is going to go from strength to strength and contend for Majors. I would not be surprised if she goes on to win the Australian Open but I think she is the hot tip to win Wimbledon this year, just because of her power game and everything that she went through in 2025. She seems to be back to her best," the 1997 US Open finalist added.
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In 2022, Rybakina was ranked outside the top-20 when she became a Grand Slam champion at Wimbledon. She was also close to winning her second Wimbledon title in 2024 as she reached the semifinal before losing to Barbora Krejcikova.
At the Australian Open, Rybakina is a former runner-up, having lost the 2023 final to Aryna Sabalenka.
