Elena Rybakina explains the two things she must do if she wants to become world number one
Elena Rybakina easily came through her opening round match at Roland Garros against Veronika Erjavec on Philippe-Chatrier.
The World No. 2 breezed to a 6-2, 6-2 victory against the Slovenian star and she will face Yuliia Starodubtseva next in her second round match.
Rybakina is one of the favourites to win the tournament and a first-time victory at Roland Garros would see her halfway to winning all four majors in the same year, following her victory at the Australian Open earlier this year.
The star also has a chance to oust Aryna Sabalenka as the World No. 1, but she must reach at least the semifinals to have a chance at attaining the top ranking.
In her press conference after her victory against Erjavec, Rybakina outlined what she needs to change in her game to reach the summit of the WTA Tour rankings.
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“To reach the number 1 spot in the rankings, you need to be very consistent; that’s the most important thing,” said Rybakina in her press conference.
“You always have to stay healthy on such a demanding schedule because there’s no room for skipping tournaments. Otherwise, if you’re not feeling well, you could lose early in the first rounds. I think consistency is the most important thing, and of course, being healthy.”
Rybakina is just 527 ranking points away from Sabalenka, as the World No. 1 has lost 1290 points due to her final appearance at Roland Garros last year.
The Kazakhstani was beaten in the fourth round of Roland Garros last year, so she is only defending 170 ranking points at this year’s Grand Slam.
The star has been drawn in the same section of the Roland Garros draw as the likes of Jasmine Paolini, Sorana Cirstea, Hailey Baptiste, and Eva Lys.
She will absolutely be one of the favourites to at least get to the quarter-finals, where her most likely opponent looks set to be Mirra Andreeva.
With the World No. 1 on the line, that could be a very pivotal match for Rybakina indeed. Rybakina has never been past the quarter-final stage of Roland Garros before.
She has reached the last eight on two occasions, in 2021 and 2024. She was beaten by Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in 2021 and her tournament was ended by Paolini in 2024.
Sabalenka, meanwhile, begins her Roland Garros campaign against Jéssica Bouzas Maneiro. She has been placed in the same section of the draw as Naomi Osaka, Iva Jovic, Emma Navarro, and Donna Vekic.
