Elena Rybakina issues fitness update ahead of WTA Finals knockout stages
Elena Rybakina admits she is “trying to stay healthy” in Riyadh as she looks to win the WTA Finals title after a dominant run through the round-robin stage.
Sixth seed Rybakina was close to perfect across her first three matches at the year-end championships, winning all three contests to reach the last four.
The Kazakh’s opening wins over fourth seed Amanda Anisimova and second seed Iga Swiatek confirmed she would finish top of Group Serena Williams, and she capped off an impressive run with victory over alternate Ekaterina Alexandrova on Wednesday.
Rybakina is now set to return to court on Friday for her semi-final, having progressed out of the group for the first time following her early exits in 2023 and 2024.
The winner of the Strasbourg International and Ningbo Open titles in 2025, the former Wimbledon champion has contested a staggering 76 matches this season — with potentially two still to come.
Having dropped just one set across her three round-robin matches, Rybakina may be among the freshest of the four eventual semi-finalists, especially considering she has a full day between her final group match and her semi-final.
However, asked about her health and fitness following a 6-4, 6-4 win over alternate Alexandrova on Wednesday, the 26-year-old revealed that tiredness and fatigue would be a factor for all players at this stage of the season.
“Of course, I’m a little bit tired, but I think everybody feels the same,” said the Kazakh.
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“The season has been long, but everyone is going to try to push no matter what. It’s really the last few matches left, so you try your best.
“When you get this far into the season, recovery becomes just as important as the tennis itself. I’m just trying to stay healthy, recover well, and do my best in the next one.”
The Kazakh was the last qualifier for the WTA Finals this year, with the former world No 3 successfully chasing down Mirra Andreeva in the closing stages of the season.
Her run to a 10th career title at the WTA 500 event in Ningbo — where she again beat Alexandrova in the final — was followed by a run to the semi-final of the Pan Pacific Open, enough to qualify for the third straight year.
Rybakina’s late-season surge saw her move above both Madison Keys and Jasmine Paolini in the seedings for the tournament, and the world No 6 has arguably been the most impressive performer of the tournament so far.
Already the first Kazakh woman to progress to the knockout stage, Rybakina will learn her semi-final opponent on Thursday as she looks to reach her biggest final since her runner-up finish at the 2023 Australian Open.
