How Elena Rybakina Climbed to the Top of Women's Tennis

Elena Rybakina won the U.S. Open women's singles title on Saturday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. She beat Aryna Sabalenka in the final to earn $5.5 million, which is the biggest prize ever paid to a woman in tennis history. Along with the trophy, she also claimed the world No. 1 ranking for the very first time in her career.

The win was even more surprising because Rybakina had been hurt just weeks before. She injured her left leg in August and had to quit a match in Cincinnati because she could barely walk. She did not pick up a tennis racket for more than a week, yet she came back and won every match in New York.

Rybakina was born in Russia but now plays for Kazakhstan. When she was a teenager, Russia's tennis program stopped supporting her because they felt other players were more deserving. Her parents could not pay for her training and travel on their own, and she was almost ready to give up and go to college in the United States instead.

Then a billionaire from Kazakhstan named Bulat Utemuratov stepped in. He had been building a tennis program in Kazakhstan since 2007 and was looking for talented players who were not getting proper support. He offered to fund Rybakina's training and travel in exchange for her representing Kazakhstan, and she accepted.

Rybakina became a role model for young players in a country that had very little tennis history. Utemuratov flew 14 hours from Almaty to New York just to watch her play in the final. Back in Kazakhstan, fans stayed up until 2 a.m. to watch the match because they love her so much.

Her path to the top has not been easy. She had a big dispute with her coach, Stefano Vukov, firing him and then bringing him back. The WTA — the organization that runs women's tennis — later suspended Vukov, saying he had abused his authority, though he denied it and Rybakina said he had never mistreated her.

Through those hard times, her results dropped and her health suffered. She hired another coach, a former Wimbledon champion, but he left when Vukov returned. Still, Rybakina kept competing and improving, winning the season-ending WTA Tour Finals last fall and the Australian Open earlier this year.

Rybakina lives in Dubai but visits Kazakhstan every year and runs two charities there. One helps young tennis players with talent, and the other supports people who are less fortunate. After lifting the U.S. Open trophy, she promised to bring it back to Kazakhstan to share with her fans.