Elena Rybakina speaks out after ‘carrying’ Kazakhstan team-mate and beating Spain | Tennis | Sport
Alexander Shevchenko joked that he was ‘carried’ by a dominant Elena Rybakina in their United Cup mixed doubles win over Pablo Carreno Busta and Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers. The former Wimbledon champion was crucial in moving Kazakhstan into an advantageous position ahead of their final group match against Greece in Perth.
Shevchenko had been easily beaten 6-2 6-1 by Carreno Busta in the first match of the tie. Rybakina brought Kazakhstan level by defeating Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-2 6-3.
The Kazakh duo then teamed up to beat Carreno Busta and Cavalle-Reimers 7-6(4), 6-7(2), [10-7]. Shevchenko joked that he was ‘carried’ by Rybakina. He quipped: “If Lena wasn’t carrying me this match we would lose! Thanks to her.”
Rybakina added: “It’s really nice playing the first time. It’s nice we have the team by our side. They support a lot. It was such a tough match, as Sasha said. Thanks to him also. It was really good serving from him. Thank you to our team for the support and to everyone who came.”
Shevchenko and Rybakina relished the rare opportunity to play mixed doubles.
“For me it’s super fun,” Shevchenko, 24, said. “We played maybe once or twice a year. It’s unbelievable. It’s a great experience, especially if you have a partner like Lena. She hits the ball so well. It’s unbelievable.”
Rybakina’s early good form in Australia is a positive after an extremely challenging 2024 season. The 25-year-old’s campaign was plagued by fitness issues and several withdrawals from tournaments.
She surprisingly split from her long-term coach Stefano Vukov before the autumn. Goran Ivanisevic, the former coach of Novak Djokovic, is by her side for 2025.
“We had a couple of weeks together, Goran’s a fun guy,” said Rybakina. “I can’t say (too) much about our work, but we had a good preparation.
“Not much time has passed but I’m already getting experience from him, especially as a player, how he used to prepare. I’m learning every day, I’m feeling much better physically and hopefully we can do well here.”
Rybakina reached the Wimbledon semi-finals but then withdrew from the Paris Olympics, citing bronchitis. She then pulled out of the US Open after winning her opening match, having suffered a lower back injury. Her withdrawal from two events in Asia towards the end of the year prompted further concern.
The World No. 6 is now hoping for a positive run of results heading into the Australian Open.
