At the 2022 US Open, Elena Rybakina complained that she was not treated with the respect she should have had as a Grand Slam champion because of her court assignment. Additionally, she said that she thought the USTA was trying to penalize her for having Russian citizenship after she moved to represent Kazakhstan in 2018. However, it appears that the USTA has paid attention to Rybakina’s worries. At this year’s US Open, she has been given considerably better court assignments, and she has expressed satisfaction with the way she has been handled.
Elena Rybakina was asked if she was happier with her court assignment this year than she was last year at the US Open. To which she responded, “Well of course it’s much better to play on a bigger court. I saw that many seeded players played on smaller courts, even the men. I don’t really care from now on which court I’m playing.”(H/T Twitter)
Rybakina declared, “I’m incredibly pleased with how I’ve been treated here. I feel like I’m getting the respect I deserve while playing on the biggest courts.” The USTA is trying to be more equitable to all players, regardless of country, as seen by Rybakina’s improved court allocations. This is a good development since it will make the playing field more level for all contestants.
Earlier this month, the third-seeded Elena Rybakina defeated Daria Kasatkina in a lengthy quarterfinal at the National Bank Open that lasted 3 hours, and 27 minutes, but rain caused her to postpone her next match against Liudmila Samsonova until the last day of the event. Rybakina ultimately lost to Samsonova 6-1, 1-6, 2-6. Samsonova then made a second appearance for the final, where she was beaten by Jessica Pegula.
Elena Rybakina cruises past Marta Kostyuk in Round 1, athletes speak on fair treatment at the US Open
After being happy about the court situation, Elena Rybakina only made four aces in her victory over Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in straight sets, but she was still remarkable. Kostyuk defeated Rybakina in Adelaide this year in their lone meeting, despite Rybakina being rated No. 4 in the world (to Kostyuk’s No. 39). Even though their match in straight sets was competitive, Rybakina was able to even the score today by defeating Kostyuk 6-2, 6-1.
Rybakina was able to escape challenging games by relying on her serve, as is her style. Aside from that, the players resembled one another amazingly well. They were both swift, silent, and impressively athletic, with Kostyuk doing splits to reach Rybakina’s deep, slanted strokes. However, the player who was expected to win quickly pulled away and won the first set, 6-2, in a matter of minutes.
Elena Rybakina was leading the second set 3-0 when Kostyuk requested a medical timeout as the clock approached 60 minutes. She received treatment for her right quad during this break. She opened the game with an ace while being taped up and eventually managed to maintain her serve. However, Rybakina maintained her focus and forced her opponent to go from side to side as she won the second set, 6-1.
Several more players have spoken out about the value of equitable treatment at the US Open in addition to Rybakina. These include Serena Williams, who has been vocal about the lack of diversity in sports, and Naomi Osaka, who withdrew from the competition last year due to mental health issues. Although the USTA has made great strides lately, there is still work to be done.
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