Elena Rybakina has well and truly cemented her place among the WTA elite.
The Kazakh won her second Grand Slam title earlier this year after beating Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open final.
The 27-year-old continued to perform at the highest level thereafter, reaching the Indian Wells final and Miami Open semi-finals.
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Most recently, Rybakina defeated Karolina Muchova to capture the Stuttgart Open title for a second time.
Rybakina’s performances have propelled her into the world number two spot, and she now trails only Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA rankings.
Andy Roddick has analysed Rybakina’s year so far, claiming the Kazakh is currently achieving a career first.
Andy Roddick says Elena Rybakina is enjoying the best consistency of her career
Roddick, the former US Open champion, discussed Rybakina’s chances of achieving the world number one ranking this year while in discussion with notable journalist Jon Wertheim.
“Rybakina wins a [WTA] 500 in Stuttgart,” Roddick began. She’s in this number-one conversation for the year, folks, I’m just telling you. She’s not having a lot of off-weeks…”
Wertheim continued the discussion, comparing Sabalenka and Rybakina’s recent dominance to that of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner on the ATP Tour.
“We talk about the men having one and two separating themselves from the field,” he said. “There are two really, really good players on the women’s side, who seem to be distancing themselves from the pack.
“This was indoor clay, so she’s getting it done on a variety of surfaces. This Rybakina/Sabalenka, look for it on the second Saturday of June as well, this has really become a two-person race.”
Roddick built upon Wertheim’s argument, noting Rybakina’s ability to string together multiple excellent tournament results.
“This consistency over a four or five month period is not something we’ve seen from Rybakina before,” the former world number one continued.
“We know what the top shelf looks like, I think anyone with eyeballs can watch her and say, ‘her top level is as good as anyone’s.’
Elena Rybakina’s 2026 results
- Brisbane International: Quarter-finals
- Australian Open: Champion
- Qatar Open: Quarter-finals
- Dubai Tennis Championships: Fourth round [second match]
- Indian Wells: Runner-up
- Miami Open: Semi-finals
- Stuttgart Open: Champion
“But the difference being, she doesn’t do it every time out, over the course of a year, six months, whatever it may be. This feels different from what it’s been before with her as far as I can tell.”
“She’s lost the Sunshine Double, twice to her rival, Sabalenka, who went on to win the tournament,” Wertheim added. “You could make the case pretty easily that she is having just as good a year as Sabalenka right now.”
Roddick concluded the discussion by saying: “I think the easiest argument would be, ‘hey, Aryna, would you trade in the Sunshine Double for a Grand Slam?’
“Yes. I guess the answer is yes. I think she’s firmly in this conversation. If she’s winning on clay consistently… This is fun.
“You want someone to come for the throne, I know Aryna is wearing it comfortably right now, but the more in the mix, the merrier.”
Elena Rybakina’s Madrid Open draw
As the number two seed, Elena Rybakina has received a bye through to the Madrid Open second round.
There, she will face Emiliana Ruse or Antonia Ruzic.
If the 27-year-old advances to the third round, she will most likely play 2024 Olympic champion Qinwen Zheng.
Rybakina has defeated Zheng in three of their four WTA meetings, the last being at the 2026 Qatar Open.
Who wins more Grand Slams in their career – Elena Rybakina or Aryna Sabalenka?
If Rybakina continues to advance in Madrid, she will likely play Madison Keys in the fourth round.
From there, Rybakina will most probably face Elise Mertens in the quarter-finals and Coco Gauff in the last four.
