Elena Rybakina, born in Moscow but representing Kazakhstan, was crowned Wimbledon champion on Saturday at a tournament where her Russian compatriots were all banned.
Players from Russia and Belarus were barred from competing in the All England Club after the invasion of Ukraine – Including stars like men’s world number one Daniil Medvedev and two-time Grand Slam winner Victoria Azarenka.
Wimbledon 2022 Women’s Singles Final – Elena Rybakina vs Ons Jabur: Highlight
However, there were still plenty of Russians playing on the famous grasslands over the past two weeks that had switched allegiance to neighboring Kazakhstan.
Rybakina, who defeated Ons Jabur in three sets in Saturday’s final, opted to play under the Kazakh flag in 2018 when she was struggling at 175 at worlds.
Four years later, the 23-year-old is Kazakhstan’s first Grand Slam champion and is $2.4 million better.
Shy, six feet tall (1.84 m) Rybakina is tired of facing questions about her nationality.
“I’ve been playing for Kazakhstan for a long time. I’m really happy to represent Kazakhstan,” the world No. 23 said after watching former champion Simona Halep in the semi-finals.
“He believed in me. There are no more questions about how I feel. My journey as a Kazakh player is already a long time.”
Read also | Elena Rybakina fights against Ons Jabur to win Wimbledon title
Rybakina opted not to discuss how much time she spends in Moscow, adding that she trains in Slovakia and Dubai when she is not on tour.
royal presentation
“So I don’t live anywhere, to be honest,” said Rybakina, whose parents live in the Russian capital.
Rybakina is Kazakhstan’s number one ahead of Yulia Putintseva, who is ranked 33rd and is a three-time quarterfinalist in the Majors. Putinseva was also born in Moscow.
The top three men in Kazakhstan are also from Russia – Alexander Bublik, Dmitry Popko and Mikhail Kukushkin.
Bublik made the third round at Wimbledon this year, equaling his best run in the tournament.
Kukushkin, now 34, was one of the original border crossers, which turned over to Kazakhstan in 2008.
“At that time I was about 150 in the world and I was struggling,” he said.
“I wasn’t in a good shape at the time, but I knew I could play better, do better, and reach another level.
$2.5 billion fortune
“But I didn’t have any opportunity for this. Unfortunately nobody in Russia was interested in me. Kazakhstan came to me and they provided everything – practice conditions, coach.”
The road from Russia to Kazakhstan is facilitated by Bulat Utemuratov, the longtime president of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation.
According to Forbes, the businessman has a personal net worth of $ 2.5 billion.
Utemuratov was in Rybakina’s box on Saturday to watch his investment pay off and watch the player receive the trophy from Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William’s wife.
Read also | Didn’t think I’d reach another week! Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina
At the international team level, Kazakhstan’s most successful player in the women’s Billie Jean King Cup is Galina Voskoboeva, born in Moscow.
The captain of the team is Yaroslava Shvedova, who is also a native of the Russian capital.
Kazakhstan is ranked in the top 10 in the Davis Cup men’s competition, having reached the quarter-finals several times in recent years.
Georgia also benefited from a new recruit at Wimbledon when Natella Zalamidze switched from Russia on the eve of the tournament to promote her dreams of participating in the Olympics.
The 29-year-old has a Georgian father and a Russian mother. Both still live in Moscow.
However, she insisted that as a holder of two passports, a switch of loyalty was already in her plans with the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
“I was thinking of doing it by the end of the year. It wasn’t like I was applying for a new passport – I’ve had a Georgian passport for a long time,” Zlamidze told AFP.
“But the Russian players are banned and I thought ‘Why do I have to miss out on my chance to compete here?’ I’m 29 now. How many more years will I play tennis?”
Ranked 45th in doubles by the WTA, Dzalamidze and his Serbian partner Aleksandra Krunic were defeated in the second round at Wimbledon.
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