Rybakina’s triumph would present Wimbledon awkward problem

SUCH is the intensity and grace of her tennis that there is a very good chance Elena Rybakina could beat Ons Jabeur in Sunday’s women’s singles final.

This could pose some difficulties for the All England Club.

The optics of the Duchess of Cambridge presenting the Venus Rosewater Dish to a player who was born in Moscow and has represented Russia at junior level will jar slightly.

Wimbledon banned players from Russia and Belarus in response to the invasion of Ukraine. It has been a controversial stance and the reason why there are no ranking points available at this year’s championships.

But Shamil Tarpischev, the head of the Russian Tennis Federation, could have the last laugh.

“Lena can win Wimbledon,” he told a Russian website.

“Everything is deserved. It’s great that everything turned out this way, we will root for her.”

Rybakina, it must be stressed, has not circumvented the ban. The 23-year-old switched nationality in 2018 because she needed the financial support that Kazakhstan offered her, as the country of her birth was not giving her any backing.

As she explains it, Kazakhstan needed to find good athletes – and she needed the money.

Having blossomed at these championships, she has had to face lots of questions about her decision.

She has navigated these well, saying she hopes for peace in Ukraine while explaining that her success is important for a nation trying to improve its sporting success.

But by the time Rybakina faced the media on Friday it was clear that she was tiring of explaining her personal history.

She did not quite answer a question about where her heart lies, pointing out that she had represented Kazakhstan in the Billie Jean King Cup (formerly the Fed Cup) and the Olympics.

“I’m playing already for Kazakhstan for a long time,” she said. “I’m really happy representing Kazakhstan. They believed in me. There is no more question about how I feel.”

Rybakina, the event’s No.17 seed, ought to find it tough against Jabeur, the No.3, but the manner in which she dismantled Simona Halep in straight sets will give the Tunisian’s camp much to worry about.

Rybakina clinched her place in the final against Halep’s serve with a backhand winner down the line that gave the Romanian no time to even move her feet.