Elena Rybakina seemingly got a bit fed up with being labeled as “the overwhelming favorite” to win Wimbledon as the Kazakh once again had to repeat that the job is still not done and that the players left in the tournament are there for a reason.
Early in the tournament, three of the four top favorites exited – Aryna Sabalenka withdrew before her first-round match, Iga Swiatek lost in the third round while Coco Gauff got bounced in the round-of-16.
After those exits, there was no doubt that 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina instantly became the true No. 1 favorite for the title. But the issue is that the 25-year-old Kazakh feels the media have blown that out of proportion.
On Wednesday, Rybakina routinely beat last year’s Wimbledon semifinalist Elina Svitolina 6-3 6-2 to set up a semifinal versus Barbora Krejcikova. In the remaining semifinal today, Jasmine Paolini will be taking on Donna Vekic.
“Coming into this year’s semis as the overwhelming favorite, the only person to have won the tournament, how are you managing that pressure compared to in 2022?” the question that Rybakina received following her win over Svitolina read.
Rybakina answered: “I think it’s only you guys telling me that I’m the only one left who won this tournament. I…
