Elena Rybakina practises ahead of her title defense in Wimbledon

Defending champion Elena Rybakina moved on from her early loss in Berlin as she returned to training ahead of her title defense at Wimbledon.

Rybakina, 24, broke into the news following her sensational run at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, which led to her winning her maiden Grand Slam title. The Moscow-born player also reached the finals of the 2023 Australian Open, but lost the title contest to Aryna Sabalenka.

Earlier this month, Rybakina pulled out of the French Open, ahead of her third-round match, due to being sick.

Last week, the reigning Wimbledon champion participated in the Berlin Open but lost to Donna Vekic, 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-4, in the second round of the grasscourt tournament. The 24-year-old was seeded No. 2 in the tournament.

Ahead of the commencement of Wimbledon, Elena Rybakina was spotted practising with high hopes pinned on her for defending her title.

Wimbledon posted a few pictures and a video of the Kazakhstani professional player's training on social media.

"A pleasure to welcome you back, champ," Wimbledon captioned their tweet.

The World No. 3 was involved in a light training session on the grass court.

"Looking sharp, Elena," Wimbledon captioned their video on Twitter.

Some more pictures from her training can be seen below:

Serena Williams' ex-coach picks Elena Rybakina as the favorite to win the Wimbledon title

Day 13: The Championships - Wimbledon 2022

Several in the tennis world, including the former coach of the Williams sisters, have picked Elena Rybakina as their favorite to win the Wimbledon title.

Rick Macci, the ex-coach of Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams has chosen the defending champion to win her second consecutive title at Wimbledon.

Speaking in an interview with Sportskeeda, Macci explained his decision to go with the Moscow-born player.

"I would go with Rybakina first. She has the most aces on the WTA tour. I love her serve. She can hit spots. She gets a lot of mileage out of it, obviously," he said.

Macci's former trainee, Roddick, also picked Rybakina as her choice to win the title.

"[Elena Rybakina is my favorite to win at the All England Club] because she's the best grasscourt player in the world. It’s pretty straightforward," he stated.

In 2022, the 17th seed dropped just two sets as she took home the title by beating Ons Jabeur in the final of the Grand Slam.