'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQL/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAMFlSX//xAAhEAAABAUFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEAAUREmETISIyYv/aAAgBAQABPwCRrylNsmk/amcg5SMV2pWwW6ZR20vfG7PWK4rmP//EABURAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABEA/9oACAECAQE/AAv/xAAWEQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABABH/2gAIAQMBAT8AXb//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Newly-crowned Brisbane International champion Elena Rybakina has said that she is not bothered about which court she will be playing her matches on during the upcoming Australian Open.
Rybakina, who was the reigning Wimbledon champion at last year's Australian Open, was placed on Court 13 for her first match in Melbourne. The move generated controversy, as several fans claimed the 2022 Wimbledon champion was made to play in a court typically assigned to qualifiers and lucky losers.
At her post-match press conference after the Brisbane win, Rybakina was asked whether she expects to be moved over to center court this time around.
"By now I don't really care on which court I'm going to play," Rybakina said. "I just try to focus on my game and go so far in the tournament that I'm going to be playing always on center court."
Higher ranked players typically get the top courts at Grand Slam tournaments. Rybakina was the No. 22 seed then as she did not get any ranking points for her Wimbledon win. If she had been awarded the points for her famous Grand Slam triumph, she would have been in the top-10.
"Well, I hope I'm going to start on the big court this year. Of course before I was a bit upset why I'm playing on that court, not on another one," she added at the press conference following her win over No. 2 ranked Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets.
The organisers of Wimbledon banned Russian and Belarusian players from participating in the event in 2022 due to the Ukraine war. In response, the ATP and WTA decided to strip the grasscourt Slam of ranking points.
Rybakina, who was born in Russia, was allowed to play as she has been representing Kazakhstan since 2018.
"Honestly guys, I don't enjoy this part of our job so much" - Elena Rybakina on whether she is a favourite at the Australian Open
Despite her success, Elena Rybakina has been quite shy and modest about her expectations at Majors. She was even criticized by some for not showing any emotions after her Grand Slam win at Wimbledon in 2022.
When asked whether she should be considered a favorite at the Australian Open, Rybakina was characteristically guarded in her response.
"Honestly, guys, I don't enjoy this part of our job so much. First of all, I maybe didn't get as much attention as other players," the Kazakh star said.
Rybakina, who started 2024 as the World No. 4, has improved to No. 3 following her victory at Brisbane. She did not lose a set at the WTA-500 event and even bagelled No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka in the opening set.
