‘I don’t feel pressure’: Elena Rybakina unfazed by Wimbledon favourite tag

After winning Wimbledon once before, Elena Rybakina doesn't feel stressed about trying to do it again. She doesn't see any opponent as easy, always striving to play her best. Rybakina is simply enjoying being on the court and hopes to make it to the end of the tournament.

Rybakina smoothly moved on to the quarter-finals on Monday after her opponent, Russian player Anna Kalinskaya, had to stop playing due to a wrist injury. Rybakina was winning 6-3, 3-0 on Centre Court when Kalinskaya had to retire. Rybakina had been playing very well before her opponent pulled out. Two years after winning a match here, the player from Kazakhstan will face off against Elina Svitolina for a chance to make it into the semi-finals.

Since Aryna Sabalenka had to pull out of the tournament due to injury, the women's singles draw has been more unpredictable than expected. The losses of Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff have made Rybakina the front runner for the title. She seems unfazed by the possibility of winning again, stating that she doesn't think about it when she's on the court. "It does give me more confidence, but there are still many strong players out there," she said. "I just focus on playing my best and don't pay too much attention to the talk about winning."

"It's nice to hear that people believe in me. However, there is still a long way to go until the final. There are many matches ahead of me. I always take it one game at a time and see where it takes me. But I am determined to go far in the tournament and hopefully come out as the winner."

Rybakina also deserves to be considered a top player in Wimbledon. As the fourth seed, she defeated Kalinskaya, who was supported by her boyfriend, the world No 1 Jannik Sinner. Rybakina has won 18 out of her first 20 matches at Wimbledon, achieving a 90% winning ratio, a feat only accomplished by Steffi Graf and Ann Jones in the Open era. Rybakina expressed surprise at these statistics, maintaining a stoic demeanor that did not reveal whether she knew of Jones, the 1969 champion. She acknowledged her success on grass courts, expressing happiness at being mentioned alongside such prestigious names in tennis history. Rybakina is proud to showcase her skills on grass and is pleased to be recognized for her achievements.

She hopes to win another championship this year, but her next match against Svitolina will be a challenge. Svitolina, a player from Ukraine, is using her platform to bring attention to the situation in her country after Russia invaded in March 2022. Despite the tragic events in Kyiv, Svitolina managed to stay focused and win her match against Xinyu Wang with a score of 6-2, 6-1, showing her bravery and determination.

"It was really difficult," she explained. "I felt a bit foggy in my mind and emotions since this morning. Usually, I spend the day thinking about my match, my opponent, and my game plan. But today was different. My team and I were quiet and calm. Everyone understood the situation. It was simple and clear what I needed to do on the court: just follow steps one, two, three."

"That's possibly why I decided to take more risks and stay extremely concentrated on my game plan. My mind was filled with thoughts about the current situation and the heartbreaking images of children affected by the crisis. Despite these distractions, I managed to remain focused on the task at hand on the court. This approach seemed to pay off today as I feel like I performed exceptionally well."

Rybakina and Svitolina have faced off four times before, with both winning two matches each. Rybakina emerged victorious in their last encounter at Roland Garros and also won their only match on grass. The audience will probably be rooting for Svitolina, and Rybakina is aware that it will be a tough match.

"She's a strong competitor, she has good game awareness, she's solid in defense," she stated. "She mixes up her shots well. It won't be a simple match, but if I play assertively, if my serving is on point, I have a good shot at winning. I'll concentrate on my own game and see what happens."

Rybakina isn't the only winner of a major tournament still in the competition. Jelena Ostapenko, who has previously won the French Open, defeated Yulia Putintseva, the player who defeated Swiatek, with a score of 6-2, 6-3.

Barbora Krejcikova, ranked 31, defeated the No 11 seed Danielle Collins 7-5, 6-3, advancing to the quarter-finals where she will face Ostapenko. This loss marked the end of Collins' Wimbledon run, as she intends to retire at the end of the year in order to focus on starting a family.