"Cannot lose energy on these kind of things" - Elena Rybakina on her Roger Federer-esque lack of emotion after Miami Open SF win

Elena Rybakina compared her lack of emotion on the court to Roger Federer's after her semifinal win against Victoria Azarenka at the Miami Open 2024.

The 24-year-old has been highly praised for her calm and composed demeanor even when things don't go her way. The 2023 Miami Open finalist was dominant in the first set against Azarenka as she clinched it 6-4.

However, former World No. 1 Azarenka turned the tables on Rybakina in the second set, cruising to a 6-0 demolition.

The third and deciding set witnessed a tiebreak, where Rybakina kept calm and ultimately secured her place in the Miami Open final for a second successive year. Following the conclusion of the match, the Kazakh was asked about her Roger Federer-like ability to not show any emotion on the court.

In response, Rybakina said that her calmness comes from her character. She acknowledged that she occasionally exhibits a negative attitude and could benefit from displaying more positive energy towards her opponents.

"I think it's just the character, but also if sometimes you can notice that I'm also negative. Of course I need to maybe bring more positive energy and to show the opponent," Rybakina said during a press conference.

The WTA World No. 4 also said that during the first few matches at this year's Miami Open, she felt a bit physically off, which played its part in her 'negative' feeling. However, Rybakina said that to get past Azarenka, she could not afford to focus on the negatives.

"Now I knew that I cannot lose energy on these kind of things. I was just trying to keep calm and just focus on every point, because I knew that's the only way to get through this," Rybakina added.

Elena Rybakina set for showdown against Danielle Collins in the Miami Open final

Elena Rybakina playing against Danielle Collins at the 2024 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open

Rybakina will face Danielle Collins in the 2024 Miami Open women's singles title clash, who defeated 14th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the other semifinal match.

Currently, the Kazakh holds the edge over the American in terms of their head-to-head record. The pair have clashed four times previously on the WTA Tour, with Rybakina coming out on top thrice.

Their last encounter came in the Round of 16 at the 2024 Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open. An upset was on the cards after Collins stunned Rybakina to take the first set 6-4. However, Rybakina fought back emphatically as she won the next two sets 6-3, 6-3.

The Kazakh went on to win the Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open title after beating Daria Kasatkina in the final.