Rybakina goes through 'a lot of emotions' following first US Open title

[p]The powerful game is there to see, but the thoughts and emotions driving it are largely shrouded - and that's the way [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rybakina-elena/UDzElXdm/"]Rybakina[/a] prefers it to be.[/p][p][b]"Elena is not nonchalant, I don't want to say that, but just no reaction ever,"[/b] said American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gauff-coco/f5BXmEH6/"]Coco Gauff[/a], who fell to Rybakina in the semi-finals in New York.[/p][p][b]"We're all feeling nerves and stuff. Now, how much of that she lets get to her, we don't know, and I think that's the strength of her. You can never see what she's feeling."[/b][/p][embed guid="c20cd7aa-2460-4912-bd3a-e1bac4865281" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJrkC_2Jr50" social-type="youtube" /][p]When Rybakina beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jabeur-ons/f7a53rOM/"]Ons Jabeur[/a] for her first Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2022, she didn't shout with joy or flop to the grass.[/p][p]She raised one clenched fist before heading to her chair.[/p][p][b]"I'm going to have to teach her how to celebrate properly,"[/b] Jabeur quipped.[/p][p]But Moscow-born Rybakina, who opted in 2018 to represent Kazakhstan, says it's a tactical choice to keep her feelings in check on court.[/p][p][b]"Well, it's a lot of emotions,"[/b] she said.[b] "I'm trying to hide it, because you just don't want to let the opponent also see your frustration when something is going wrong.[/b][/p][p][b]"People who know me well, long enough, they read even little changes in my face."[/b][/p][p]Rybakina has found her famous composure challenged in the face of off-court controversy.[/p][p]Russian players were banned the year she won Wimbledon, and she faced numerous questions about choosing to play under the Kazakh flag when she was a little-known 19-year-old ranked 175th in the world.[/p][embed guid="d89eb0e0-f226-457a-852a-1cdfbe0312b9" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1dOo30-iAM" social-type="youtube" /][p][b]"They believed in me. There is no more question about how I feel," s[/b]he snapped then, and when she cemented her rise to number one in the world by reaching the semi-finals in New York she spoke proudly of representing the country that backed her pro career.[/p][p][b]"Every time I come back to Kazakhstan, no matter which city I go, it's always so many kids,"[/b] she said. [b]"Now they play tennis, and more and more are coming to the tennis facilities. It just proves that everything is possible if you believe, if you work hard."[/b][/p][p]But tennis stardom wasn't something she dreamed of as child, Rybakina said.[/p][p][b]"I never thought that I'm going to be professional or I'm going to be even playing on these kind of tournaments on the biggest stages.[/b][/p][p][b]"I was just enjoying playing tennis after school, hanging out with the friends. It was just for fun."[/b][/p][p]Now she's a three-time Grand Slam champion. She bested [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/sabalenka-aryna/vyhksgUB/"]Sabalenka[/a] in the Australian Open final in January to claim her second, four years after her Wimbledon triumph.[/p][embed guid="473b3a37-d257-4e2b-a6f4-c735b54f705e" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZp5mhbvVHY" social-type="youtube" /][p]The intervening years had seen her on-off Croatian coach [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vukov-stefano/QkVRXTGl/"]Stefano Vukov[/a] -- who guided her to Wimbledon success -- suspended over a potential breach of the WTA's code of conduct.[/p][p]Vukov was reported to have used harsh and abusive behaviour towards players, claims he denied.[/p][p]Rybakina was exasperated by the allegations and suspension, refusing to pose for a photo with WTA chief executive Portia Archer after Rybakina's victory at the Riyadh Masters in November 2025.[/p][p]She's had Vukov back in her corner since the suspension was lifted.[/p][p]Now the winner of 14 titles, Rybakina has twice led the WTA in aces in a season and has significantly improved her baseline game, according to American world number three [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/pegula-jessica/KdojxrAR/"]Jessica Pegula[/a].[/p][p]But Pegula, like Gauff, thinks Rybakina's self-control remains her greatest strength.[/p][p][b]"Cool as a cucumber,"[/b] Pegula said after falling to Rybakina in the Australian Open semi-finals. [b]"She's so chill. She doesn't really give you anything.[/b][/p][p][b]"You're not really sure if she's upset or if she's excited or what it is. I think in today's game that goes a long way."[/b][/p][embed guid="bed7123c-d272-4e21-94cb-9cb3b2754e56" url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCAQnmJBJIk" social-type="youtube" /]