Elena Rybakina this week secured her spot at the 2024 WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fans took to social media to express their opinion on the Kazakh’s qualification for the tournament despite facing injury struggles throughout the year.
Rybakina will be joined by World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini, and Jessica Pegula at the 2024 WTA Finals. The tournament will be played at the King Saud University Indoor Arena from 2 to 9 November. Rybakina played at the year-end championships last year as well, bowing out in the group stages.
The former Wimbledon champion has qualified for this year’s WTA Finals despite playing just 14 tournaments amid constant injuries hampering her progress. Rybakina withdrew from the Indian Wells Open, Italian Open, Paris Olympics, and the Canadian Open. She pulled out from her quarterfinal match at the Dubai Tennis Championships and before the second round at the US Open.
Following Rybakina’s official qualification for the WTA Finals, several tennis fans were impressed to see her make the cut for the competition despite limited appearances on the WTA Tour.
“Mother is on vacation for 4 months and still qualified,” a fan said.
“Crossed the line? Rybakina didn’t play half of the tournaments she was #3 in the race and until like 2 weeks ago. That’s not crossing the line, that’s beyond impressive,” another fan posted.
“Not playing half the year and qualifying. she’s a legend,” a fan wrote.
Meanwhile, some fans were excited at the prospect of seeing the Kazakh once again on the court. She last played at the 2024 US Open in late August. Others were unsure if Rybakina would play in the WTA Finals and thought the tournament officials were using her to sell tickets.
“My sickly victorian child fave qualifying for the Finals even after 27393022636 withdrawals and missing half the season,” a fan tweeted.
“I don’t even care if she goes 0-3, I just want to see her playing tennis,” another fan posted on X.
“Using her for ticket sales when her season ended months ago so desperate,” a fan said.
Some fans used memes to share their takes on Rybakina’s qualification amid her injury-plagued season:
Elena Rybakina heads to WTA Finals 2024 with three titles this year
Elena Rybakina booked her spot at the 2024 WTA Finals with 4,971 ranking points. The Kazakh has won three titles on the 2024 WTA Tour this year, all coming at 500-level tournaments. The 25-year-old defeated Aryna Sabalenka, Daria Kasatkina, and Marta Kostyuk in the finals of the Brisbane International, Abu Dhabi Open, and Stuttgart Open, respectively.
Rybakina also reached the finals at the Qatar Open in Doha and the Miami Open, finishing runner-up to Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins, respectively. The former World No. 2’s prospects for the WTA Finals were also aided by her semifinal appearances at the Wimbledon Championships, where she lost to Barbora Krejcikova, and the Madrid Open, where she lost to Sabalenka.
At her last appearance at the year-end WTA Finals in 2023, the Kazakh lost to Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula in the group stage and failed to qualify for the knockout round.
