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Tennis player Donna Vekic has found some backing in Andy Murray's former coach Mark Petchey after the Croatian denied Elena Rybakina's invincibility on grass.
The 2023 Australian Open quarterfinalist recorded her second top-10 win of the season on June 21, as she knocked out reigning Wimbledon winner Rybakina, 6-7(1), 6-3, 6-4, in the second round of the bett1open in Berlin. By upsetting the second seed of the tournament, Vekic qualified for the sixth grass-court quarterfinal of her career.
Speaking to the media after her stunning win over the World No. 3, Vekic touched upon Andy Roddick's recent claims of Rybakina being "the best grasscourt player" right now.
“[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,” Roddick opined. (via Tennis Channel)
Countering Roddick's statement about Rybakina's invincibility on the surface, the 26-year-old stated that in today's time, any player could anyone.
"When I was in the car today, traveling from warm up to the site, I was Twitter and I saw how Roddick said that [Elena Rybakina] she's the best player on grass right now," Vekic said.
"So, I was like we'll see about that, I'm not saying that I'm the best player on grass, far from that but I think nowadays everyone can beat everyone, especially if you have a good day and you believe in yourself," Vekic added.
Commenting on Vekic's statement, Petchey called for more of such behavior from other players. The Englishman further heaped praise on the 23rd-ranked Croatian, saying that she had what it took to win the ongoing tournament.
"More swagger from the other players is warranted and needed. Great for the tour. No issue here from me. She’s playing great. No reason she can’t win it all," Petchey wrote on Twitter.
Elena Rybakina begins training at Wimbledon
World No. 3 Elena Rybakina has begun her preparations to defend her title after being spotted practicing at Wimbledon. On Friday, June 23, Wimbledon shared pictures and a video of the Kazakh player training ahead of the Grand Slam tournament.
The Moscow-born player won her maiden Major at Wimbledon last year when she beat Ons Jabeur in the summit clash. Since then, the 24-year-old has reached another Grand Slam final — at the 2023 Australian Open, where she lost to Aryna Sabalenka.
Earlier this week, Vekic brought an end to Rybakina's eight-match winning streak on grass. Many in the tennis world, including Andy Roddick, Serena Williams' former coaches, Rennae Stubbs and Rick Macci, have picked Rybakina as the top contender to lift the title in July.
