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Elena Rybakina continued her brilliant run in 2023, reaching the final of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Just as she did on her way to the final of the Australian Open earlier this year, the reigning Wimbledon champion took out World No. 1 Iga Swiatek to get there, this time in the semifinals.
Like Rybakina, Swiatek also came into the contest with a lot of form behind her, making the former's win all the more impressive. A 6-2, 6-2 straight-sets demolition ensured that the World No. 10 will face Aryna Sabalenka in the summit clash on Sunday -- a repeat of the aforementioned Australian Open final.
Unfortunately, it is not just the 23-year-old's tennis that has grabbed the attention this week in Indian Wells. Once again, Elena Rybakina has been hit with questions about her Russian heritage, in light of some recent controversies due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
With Sabalenka set to take on Lesia Tsurenko in the Round of 32, the Ukrainian withdrew from their encounter, citing Sabalenka's Belarusian nationality as one of the reasons she did not want to take to court, among others. Tsurenko's coach Nikita Vlasov also stepped in, levying further blame on WTA CEO Steve Simon for not handling the situation well.
Anastasia Potapova, meanwhile, showed up to her third-round match against Jessica Pegula donning a football jersey of Russian club Spartak Moscow, landing herself in wide trouble. World No. 1 Swiatek, outspoken as she always is, weighed in on both incidents, declaring that top players such as herself had more responsibility to raise awareness in light of such cases.
Daniil Medvedev added his take on the matter as well, agreeing with Swiatek and reiterating that he was all for peace. However, eagle-eyed tennis fans also noticed the way in which the ATP moderator tried to stifle discussion about the war during the Russian's press conference, leading many to wonder if the WTA was doing the same in cahoots with the men's body.
Finally, after Elena Rybakina reached the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open, the tournament's social media handle praised her as the first Kazakh woman to do so, dividing Twitter users. Many brought up the fact that she was Russian, while her fans defended her from trolls by declaring that it shouldn't matter anymore since she represents Kazakhstan now and that she be the end of the matter.
So, should that be the end of the matter? The short answer is yes. The significantly longer answer is this:
First of all, Elena Rybakina switched federations in 2018, when she was still a teenager. She did so right after she broke into the top 200, after the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation offered her financial support. Had the requisite support come forth from Russia, she might not have. In fact, her first Grand Slam appearance came in the qualifiers of the 2018 US Open, where she represented her new country.
In essence, the World No. 10 has spent more time playing under the Kazakhstan flag on the WTA Tour than under the Russian flag. Bringing up her Russian heritage at this point in her career makes no sense in this context, especially as the same is never brought up when it comes to her compatriots like Alexander Bublik, Yulia Putintseva or Mikhail Kukushkin.
Elena Rybakina wasn't the first tennis player to switch nationalities and she won't be the last to do so
Secondly, it is not like only players from Russia switch nationalities to get around certain situations (which is not the case with Elena Rybakina, it should be added). Martina Navratilova, hailed by many as one of the greatest American tennis players of all-time, switched from Czechoslovakia to the United States only in 1975.
Ivan Lendl did the same, representing Czechoslovakia before he did the United States. Monica Seles went from playing for Yugoslavia to playing for America afterwards.
Former World No. 4 Johanna Konta represented Australia before turning her allegiances to Great Britain. Jelena Dokic made two shifts, playing for Australia before turning to Yugoslavia at the behest of her father and then coming back to play for Australia.
Cameron Norrie was a New Zealand tennis player before he switched to Britain. Ajla Tomljanovic played for Croatia in the past before she led Australia to the Billie Jean King Cup final last year.
The point is, shifting nationalities is nothing new in an individual sport like tennis, where players depend on their federations for funding to get through at times. Elena Rybakina wasn't the first to do it and she won't be the last to do it.
Granted, had social media been a thing in the time of Martina Navratilova and Ivan Lendl, they too would have had people disparaging them every time they won a match under the American flag.
Rybakina's case, meanwhile, is even more curious because she made the change well before she became as famous as she is today. The Kazakhstan Federation rallied behind her when Russia did not, and now they are reaping the rewards for their belief in her.
The Kazakh has also mentioned time and again that she feels more loved in her country than anywhere else around the world, and has even repeatedly helped causes in Kazakhstan recently. Elena Rybakina has stated, in no uncertain times, that her Russian heritage is a thing of the past and that she feels Kazakhstani through and through these days.
The only people who continue to see Elena Rybakina as Russian, at this point, are either trolls wanting to create drama where none exist or people who have not taken the time to look into the details of her story. Either way, neither of their arguments should be taken seriously.
