Andrey Rybakin and his wife, Ekaterina, are the proud parents of Elena. In Russia, Elena’s family also had an older sister called Anna.

A Kazakhstani tennis player defeated Ons Jabeur in the 2022 Wimbledon singles final. Her joy quickly turned to sadness as she realized she would miss out on sharing the occasion with her loved ones.

It was unfortunate for the tennis pro last year because her parents, originally from Russia, had to cancel their trip to the event in the United Kingdom.

A war between Russia and Ukraine led to a restriction on Russian citizens travelling throughout Europe. This meant that Andrey and Ekaterina couldn’t fly to see their daughter shine on the big day.

The current Kazakhstani No. 1 defeated Austria’s Jalena Ostapenka in straight sets on Tuesday, January 23, to get to the semi-finals of the ongoing Australian Open singles.

Elena Rybakina Grew Up In Moscow, Russia

Born to Ekaterina and Andrey Rybakina in Moscow, Russia. She grew up in Russia for a long time before moving to Kazakhstan. Rybakina has an early interest in athletics.

As a kid, she and her sister Anna actively participated in several sports. Elena enjoyed ice skating and gymnastics, but she realized that her height made tennis a more viable career option.

The reason being her extreme size and suppleness caused problems for her in each of those games. Andrey, her father, was disappointed and suggested she give tennis a shot.

And Rybakina, who has been playing tennis since she was eight, is now a well-respected professional. When she was a junior player, she started getting private lessons.

Up until she was 18, Elena trained with a team. In high school, she rarely got to practice tennis since she had to balance her training with her schoolwork.

Despite these setbacks, she developed into a formidable player because of her natural talent and unwavering commitment.

Is Rybakina Giving Up On Tennis?

Andrey had revealed that Rybakina, her younger daughter, wanted to give up tennis six months before she won Wimbledon.

In an interview with Sports Express Russia, Andrey provided extensive background on what took on in Elena’s life just before the 2022 Wimbledon match. There were no significant challenges until July 2022, when she became a household name.

Despite her best efforts, Rybakina wanted a better outcome. She was desperate to succeed, but nothing was going her way.

Because of this, she considered giving up tennis, but Andrey and Ekaterina were there for her when she needed them and helped her realize that she could do it.

To her credit, the 23-year-old recovered and won her first Grand Slam tournament. She is no longer interested in retiring and is eager to add to her list of accomplishments.

Who Is Elena Rybakina’s Sister?

Anna Rybakina, Rybakuna’s older sister, is a retired Russian tennis star. This is because she is presently employed as a digital developer.

She has placed a Saturn ring emoji in the center of her name on her Instagram profile. It should be mentioned that although her full name is Anna, she likes to be called Ann, which is what her social media names reflect.

Ann has a lot on her plate as a digital content producer. Her work involves conceptualizing ideas, developing layouts, and generating digital media to attract more viewers, including movies, graphics, animations, websites, and more.

As of now, she has 64 Instagram posts and 2.3k followers. She has shared some older photos of herself and her sister Elena on social media. In August 2013, Anna posted a picture to her Facebook of her and her friend going swimming.

The majority of her pictures feature her with her pal Dasha Rastegaeva. Ann has been seeing Dasha off and on since June 2015, when she uploaded their first photo together.

How Is Rybakina’s Family Background?

Rybakina grew up in a traditional Russian family in Moscow. A total of four people make up her immediate family.

Even though she did not grow up in a very sporty household, both Rybakina and her sister showed early signs of athletic prowess. They do exercises and ice skating under the watchful eyes of Andrey and Ekaterina.

Rybakina Changed Her Nationality: Know The Reason

In 2018, Rybakina changed her nationality from Russia to Kazakhstan so that her tennis chances would be better at playing collegiate tennis in the United States.

She won a slew of big titles at a young age, causing a stir in the Russian Tennis Federation. Accordingly, she aimed to expand it internationally.

Since Russians were barred from participating in several competitions, she needed to become a citizen of another country.

Despite spending most of her youth in Russia, Elena plays tennis professionally for Kazakhstan. At the age of 19, with the encouragement of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, she officially became a citizen of that country.

Last year at Wimbledon was when the adjustment paid off for her. Because of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, all Russian players were banned from participating in the competitions.

Since Rybakina is a Kazakh citizen, she was able to compete and ultimately win the tournament, making history as the first Kazakhstani tennis player to win a major title.

Is Rybakina In A Relationship?

Rybakina is single at the moment. She is concentrating on her tennis career and is currently single. Because of her impressive accomplishments at such a young age, she is considered a future star in the tennis industry.

Athletes at the highest level prioritize their occupations over everything else, devoting countless hours to preparation and performance.

The 23-year-old realizes the value of time and is dedicated to her work. Successfully reaching the level of an elite athlete involves a great deal of time, effort, and commitment.