Updated 25 September 2024
I have been getting questions about Elena Rybakina, and especially what racquet she is using.
Elena Rybakina is fully sponsored by Yonex. She uses Yonex racquets, strings, apparel and shoes from the Japanese tennis brand.
Elena is a power player with a great serve who, when she plays well, can even take the racquet out of the hands of Iga Swiatek. But what is her racquet?
Rybakina’s racquet
Rybakina is endorsing a Yonex VCORE 100 painted like the Yonex VCORE 2023 racquet. According to sources, she is using an older model from around 2018 called the Yonex VCORE SV 100. The SV line is firmer and has a rawer feel than the current well-dampened VCOREs. Many pros enjoy the SV models more than the later lines. Shapovalov is using the VCORE SV 95, for example.
One way to tell the SV mold over the new one is the throat, where there are line indentations. However, the racquet head shape is also different, as the new ones have quite a pronounced shape.
There is no visible lead tape on Rybakina’s racquet, but there can well be underneath the grommets. We don’t know her exact specifications, so if you do, please get in touch.
Rybakina strings her racquets with Yonex Poly Tour Fire (red) 1.25 strung around 56 lbs.
You can find a Yonex VCORE SV 100 on for-sale forums (quite rare, though), but if you want a similar looking racquet you can check it out at Tennis Warehouse Europe and get 10% off with the code TNERD10.
More about Rybakina…
Elena Rybakina is one of the best female tennis players in the world. While her level has at times been the highest in the world of tennis, she’s never been world No 1. Even so, the Kazakhstani is among the top contenders at any event she plays.
Her career track record so far proves that, as she’s a Grand Slam champion who also played in another final. She has several big trophies to her name, so let’s check out who Rybakina the player is.
Biography
Rybakina was born in Moscow to Russian parents who encouraged their daughter to take up sports. She did just that, starting out in gymnastics and figure skating, but due to her stature, she was advised to pursue other sports.
Exceptionally tall even as a six-year-old, Rybakina pivoted to tennis under the advice of her father, who greatly enjoyed the sport. It would prove a wise decision, as she quickly showed herself to be a very talented kid.
Even though her tennis practices were more general than targeted for much of her early life, Rybakina rose to become the third best junior in the world. She kept progressing, becoming one of the youngest players in recent years to turn professional, which she did at the age of 16.
Elena Rybakina Professional Career Overview
Rybakina started her professional career by playing in a couple of ITF events, after which she switched over to proper WTA events. By 2018, Rybakina won her first WTA match and continued playing on the WTA Tour.
She also switched tennis federations, opting for Kazakhstan instead of Russia after being offered financial support, which she wasn’t getting at that time. Rybakina also had offers to play college tennis in the US, but chose the Kazakhstani offer, which allowed her to pursue a professional career immediately.
It proved to be another smart decision, because it allowed her to focus solely on tennis, which quickly started to yield results. She would win her maiden WTA trophy the following year in Bucharest on clay, finishing that year in the top 50.
She continued playing well the next year, finishing in the top 20 and playing in five more finals. Unfortunately, she would only win one of those, marking a pretty lackluster record in finals early on in her career. She was only 2-6 in her first eight finals, though that mark would improve slightly in the coming years.
Rybakina wouldn’t play in any finals in 2021, but she did make her maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal, which happened at Roland Garros. By entering the top 10, Rybakina became the highest-ranked Kazakhstani player ever.
The year 2022 saw her properly take off as a player because she finally experienced major success. Rybakina made three finals that year, including Wimbledon, which was the only final she won. It was her first Grand Slam trophy and, to date, the only one she has won.
The next year brought more success for Rybakina, who made the Australian Open final, though it was a losing effort to Aryna Sabalenka. She played in four finals that year, winning two of them and reaching world No 3 thanks to some very consistent play.
2024 was a very interesting season for Rybakina as well. She started strongly, winning a couple of trophies and making the Wimbledon semi-finals but battled illnesses throughout the year, which prevented her from playing tennis as much as she loved.
A shoulder injury impacted her U.S. Open run as well, but up until that point, she was able to make five finals and win three of them, once again proving her quality. The health issues are a concern, but her career trajectory has proven so far that talent never was.
Rybakina’s Biggest Achievements
- Eight WTA titles
- Highest ranked Kazakhstani ever (world No 3)
- First Kazakhstani to win a Grand Slam
- First Kazakhstani in the top five
What Is Elena Rybakina’s Playing Style?
Elena Rybakina is primarily known as an aggressive baseliner who enjoys keeping points as short as possible. Due to her stature, Rybakina boasts a massive serve, which can be quite inconsistent, but when working properly, it dominates opponents.
She uses that serve to exert early pressure in the point, and every short return gets immediately punished. On return, Rybakina plays a very risky, attacking style that often results in a direct winner but also many unforced errors.
She’s not the best mover, but is pretty good for her size, which is why she’s also good on clay. Despite being considered a hard-court specialist, Rybakina has tremendous results on both clay and grass.
The Kazakh is a capable volleyer due to her doubles experience but doesn’t venture forward as often. She’s also noted for her coldness on the court, rarely showing any kind of emotion, good or bad.
Who Is Elena Rybakina’s Coach?
Elena Rybakina doesn’t have a coach currently after splitting with long-time coach Stefanos Vukov recently. Before that split, she worked with Vukov since 2019, as he was her first proper coach.
She didn’t have a personal coach in her junior career due to her inability to afford one. Rybakina only opted for a coach once switching to the Kazakhstan tennis federation, which provided the financial support she lacked before.
Under Vukov, Rybakina transformed from a raw talent into a deadly attacker who could compete with some of the best in the world. After their split in August 2024, Rybakina hasn’t formally announced a new coach.
What Is Rybakina Best Known For?
Rybakina is a relatively shy person who doesn’t boast an overbearing personality or a super active social media presence.
On the court, she’s known for her calm approach, barely showing any emotions. This was best highlighted during her Wimbledon triumph, where she barely reacted after winning the trophy.
Outside the court, Rybakina is known as a shy person who enjoys traveling the world, often posting pictures on social media from her travels.
She became more well-known in the wake of her Wimbledon triumph, which was heavily celebrated in Russia as a national success, even though she officially represents Kazakhstan. Russian tennis officials publicly claimed the success as a Russian achievement, which prompted Rybakina to issue a response disagreeing with the matter.
That raised her public profile quite a bit, as she continued to distance herself from Russia publicly while championing Kazakhstani tennis.
Interesting Facts About Elena Rybakina
- Despite being Russian ethnically, she has embraced Kazakhstan and takes great pride in representing the country internationally.
- Enjoys reading, believing the hobby helps her relax.
- Loves animals and has a pet beagle called Mulia. She also supports animal shelters in Kazakhstan.
- Enjoys traveling and learning about new cultures.
- Grew up idolising Roger Federer.
Rybakina’s Social Media Presence and Fan Engagement
Elena Rybakina has an Instagram account where she usually posts content related to her tennis career or her travels. She also occasionally posts endorsements, but overall she’s semi-regularly active on it. She has 585,000 followers.
Elena Rybakina Net Worth
Not much is known about Rybakina’s net worth because she’s never talked about or publicly disclosed it. She has won almost $15 million in prize money over the course of her career.
She also has endorsement deals with Yonex and also Red Bull. Forbes lists her net worth at around $9 million, though that’s an estimate.
