Elena Rybakina has arrived at the Madrid Open following her second WTA title of the year in Stuttgart.
Rybakina is closing in on Aryna Sabalenka’s world number one spot as the pair prepare for their first tournament together since the Miami Open.
The world number two has never won the Madrid Open before, with a semi-final appearance 2024 marking her best performance.
Ahead of her first match in Madrid, Rybakina has explained why she is finding the conditions ‘challenging’.
Elena Rybakina highlights ‘challenging’ Madrid conditions
Rybakina is set to play Elena-Gabriela Ruse in the first round of the Madrid Open, but she is happy she can acclimatise to the conditions quickly.
The world number two’s appearance on indoor clay just last week makes her think she could struggle in Spain.
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“It’s challenging coming from indoor, it’s different clay court there and here is very fast. You need time to adapt,” she said.
“I will have a few more days and hopefully I will play a few matches here. I’m hoping to do better and better, we’ll see how it goes. It will be challenging, I would say.”
Rybakina’s victory against Karolina Muchova in the Stuttgart Open final marked her 25th win of the WTA Tour season so far.
The star has only lost three times this season to players other than Sabalenka, so she is in mighty good form.
Elena Rybakina’s incredible clay court record
While Rybakina has only won one Masters or above title on clay, the star holds a terrific record on the surface.
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Rybakina has won 74% of her matches on the surface in her career, which is higher than grass or hardcourts.
She has won 67 matches on the clay, which has brought her five WTA Tour titles on the surface, including her biggest at the Italian Open in 2023.
Rybakina defeated Anhelina Kalinina, Jelena Ostapenko, Iga Świątek, Marketa Vondroušová, Anna Kalinskaya, and Jasmine Paolini to lift the trophy.
