‘I can do it again’ – Elena Rybakina says Wimbledon triumph can push her to Australian Open glory

Elena Rybakina is confident she can repeat her Grand Slam heroics from Wimbledon last year by beating Aryna Sabalenka in Saturday’s Australian Open final.

“We prepared well for this. I was expecting good results, and my peak form came out at the Australian Open,” Rybakina said when speaking in Eurosport’s Cube.

“I’m calm on the outside, but on the inside, I’m nervous. I’m trying not to show my emotions, and it’s not easy.

“In the beginning at Wimbledon, the atmosphere made me nervous. Now, it’s time to enjoy [myself]. I’ve done really well here and go in with no expectations and do my best. I’m confident that I’ve done it once, and I [can do it] again.

“Aryna is going to be a really tough opponent. I’m glad that I played at the same time today as the final will be so I can get used to the conditions. I know what to expect. My serve should be working well. I’m looking forward to it.”

Rybakina reached her first Australian Open final with a 7-6(4) 6-3 win over former champion Azarenka that continued an impressive run.

She has now defeated three former Grand Slam winners on her way to the final, getting past Iga Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko and Azarenka.

However, she had to battle for the victory during an imperfect performance in which she was broken twice in the opening set and once in the second while serving for the mach.

“It wasn’t easy today with different conditions compared to the daytime, as it was much slower,” Rybakina said in an interview with Eurosport.

“I couldn’t really adapt and manipulate the ball as much. On the serve, my speed was not the same. It was tough, especially against Vika.

She added: “It was a case of relaxing more. It’s good that I know [how to handle big matches], especially for the final, where I’m going to be prepared in all aspects. In the end, I handled the emotions, which was pleasing.”

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