Watch: Elena Rybakina practices with Simona Halep, confirms report from this week
Yesterday at 05:50 PM
Elena Rybakina's return at the WTA Finals has been confirmed after the 2022 Wimbledon champion revealed that she and Simona Halep had a joint practice in Dubai.
After the Kazakh split with her long-time coach Stefano Vukov, some reports came out claiming that she needed time to recover from the stress she was under. And since she hasn't played since abruptly withdrawing from her US Open second-round match, there were concerns the world No. 5 would not play in Riyadh.
But now, it is clear that Rybakina is preparing to play again after going to Dubai - which is a very popular training destination during this part of the year because of their climate. And since Halep is also there, the 25-year-old found herself a perfect practice partner.
Elena Rybakina© Elena Rybakina - Instagram"Back at it. Great practice with @simonahalep," the Kazakh tennis star captioned her Instagram Story.
This confirms a previous Rybakina reportElena Rybakina practicing with Simona Halep. Can’t wait to see her back on court at the WTA Finals. It’s been too long. 🇰🇿🩵 pic.twitter.com/L8nThlaOSZ
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 25, 2024
At the start of the week, Kazakh Billie Jean King Cup team captain Yuri Schukin revealed to reporters that the former world No. 3 was preparing for the WTA Finals and that she would also represent her nation in mid-November against South Korea.
"Currently, our athletes are preparing to perform against the South Korean team. Elena, Zarina Diyas, Yulia Putintseva, Anna Danilina, Zhibek Kulambayeva have been selected as members of the national team. The leader of our team Elena Rybakina plans to play at the WTA Finals tournament at the end of this season, where she qualified due to her successful results at the beginning of the year. Now Elena feels well, and if she manages to show a confident game in Riyadh, she is determined to play in the matches against the South Korean team," Schukin said in a statement.
Rybakina will be the freshest player when the WTA Finals start on November 3rd but her situation is still far from ideal since she hasn't played in two months and lacks matches.
