'No weakness, good athlete': Martina Navratilova compares Elena Rybakina to former world number one ahead of Wimbledon

Martina Navratilova has stated that Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina reminds her of a former world number one. The 26-year-old was once regarded as one of the best players in the world in women’s tennis, but her form has dipped in recent years.

This year, Rybakina has featured in 14 events but has only managed to win one title, the Internationaux de Strasbourg in May, where she defeated Liudmila Samsonova in the final with a score of 6-1, 6-7, 6-1.

Her most recent outing was at the Berlin Open, where her journey ended at the quarterfinals stage after she lost to Aryna Sabalenka with a score of 7-6, 3-6, 7-6. Despite the result, Rybakina would be happy with her performance in the competition, where he primary objective was to get the much-needed match practice ahead of Wimbledon 2025. The second Grand Slam of the year will begin on June 30.

Legendary Navratilova has spoken to WTA’s official website to preview the upcoming mega-event, where she praised Rybakina. The 68-year-old stated that Rybakina reminds her of the former world number one Lindsay Davenport due to her ‘effortless’ way of hitting the ball. Navratilova also said that there is no apparent weakness in Rybakina's play.

“No weaknesses, good athlete,” she said. “Not afraid to go forward and knock off the volley. She’s got soft enough hands to hit drop shots and plays really smart, high-percentage tennis. She reminds me of Lindsay Davenport, the effortless way she hits the ball. She’s not swinging hard, but it’s a heavy ball.”

Rybakina has an impressive record at Wimbledon, where she has lifted the title, the only Grand Slam event she has won. In 2022, she defeated Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur in the final with a score of 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Last year, Rybakina’s journey in London ended after losing in the semifinal to the Czech Republic’s Barbora Krejcikova with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.