ROLAND GARROS

May 25, 2026

Elena Rybakina

Press Conference

E. RYBAKINA/V. Erjavec

6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Elena, congratulations. Solid performance today. Just talk us through your thoughts on the match.

ELENA RYBAKINA: Thank you. Tough conditions. Very hot. Yeah, just happy that I managed to win in straight sets and didn't drop service.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You know, on the surface, the score line looked somewhat lopsided, but the reality was it was tricky, at least in the beginning, right, I think you faced maybe five game points, three breaks. Was it more competitive than the score may have suggested?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, in the beginning I definitely didn't start so well. A couple of unforced errors. As I said, the conditions, you need time to get used. It was flying a lot, it was not easy to control the ball, but after I felt comfortable.

Honestly, I was just trying to stay aggressive and keep on swinging. So, yeah, the beginning is always tricky, but then you get used and it's getting better.

Q. She had a good array of dropshots and hot shots. Was it hard to kind of figure her out in the beginning? I mean, it wasn't your typical kind of baseline-to-baseline rally, at least in the beginning. She was really mixing it up a little bit.

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, I didn't know her. I watched a couple of videos, so, yeah, it's not easy to know exactly what the opponent is going to do, and you never played what kind of shots to expect.

So I think, as I said, for the first match it was solid. Still to improve for the next one, but yeah, it was a good match for me.

Q. Speaking of things to improve, which parts of your game do you think you need to improve most before the next game?

ELENA RYBAKINA: I think start of the matches can be always better. The serve and the percentage of the first serve wasn't as high as I wanted, but again, it was hot, so I had to really adjust. It's not easy to get an angle in such conditions.

Footwork always can be better. Some decisions. Yeah, but it's a good start for me.

Q. Just another question about the heat. When it's so hot, do you tend to adjust your training routines, or I don't know, do you wake up or go to bed earlier? Is there anything you change in the preparation of your matches?

ELENA RYBAKINA: I'm just trying to stay hydrated, drink a lot. If not drink, then eat something like watermelon or some things like this, because you need to prepare in advance.

Yeah, that's what I'm going to do again tonight and the next day.

Q. What aspect of the game you think is most difficult to manage to try to be No. 1 and stay there for a while, comparing to the other aspects who are the first three players in the world who has to manage difficult things? Which aspect is the most difficult to manage and to keep on a very high level?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, for No. 1 you need to be really consistent. That's the most important thing. Yeah, always be healthy in such a difficult schedule, because there is no room for you to skip tournaments or, yeah, if you don't feel well, you might lose early.

I feel like the consistency is the most important and, of course, being healthy.

Q. How important are the scorelines in the first few rounds of a Grand Slam for you? You won quite easily. The score was pretty lopsided, as my colleague said. Did you take into account the fact that Iga just before you won also quite easily, or you just don't care, you focus on yourself and...

ELENA RYBAKINA: Yeah, I just focus on myself, but of course, if you can win and not stay on the heat for longer, it's better to finish the job quicker, but it doesn't mean that you need to rush.

It's something I'm not focusing, but it's good to win in straight sets, that's for sure.

Q. One general clay court question. You mentioned earlier about getting your feet moving. If there's one quality that you need to have to be a successful clay court player at this level, what would it be? Footwork, your mentality, the physical grind? What do you need?

ELENA RYBAKINA: I would say physical. Physical and the footwork, because clay is a surface where all the shots, they kind of the same. It's all about the footwork, the angles you can create, so I would say that.