US OPEN

September 12, 2026

Elena Rybakina

Press Conference

E. RYBAKINA/A. Sabalenka

6-4, 5-7, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Well, congratulations. Magnificent match. I already know how you're feeling, so I'm not going to ask you your thoughts on that, so if you would for this historic press conference, turn your attention to the young lady in the first row. Emerie from the US Open Lemonade Stand who will have question number one. Everybody, pay attention.

Q. Hi, Elena, congratulations. How does it feel to win the US Open?

ELENA RYBAKINA: It feels amazing. It's still so difficult to process what happened. Too much achievements these few weeks. I'm super happy, very proud of all the work. Yeah, it's just amazing. Difficult to find words, but super happy.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Things were cruising, and then all of a sudden it seemed like Sabalenka had set point, she wins the second set. Between sets, what did you do or think to kind of reset and put yourself in a position where you can dominate the third set the way that you did?

ELENA RYBAKINA: I feel like the match was so close. Even first set I got early break. Then it was kind of a little bit easier to step in, to be aggressive.

Then in the second we were going both, like, each game. We were taking our serve. I feel like she just played in these same important moments more aggressive. Yeah, she just went for the shots.

I had some little opportunities. Made couple of mistakes. But then in the third set, I told myself that I can still do it. I need to focus on my serve and just risk a little bit more when I have the chance.

Q. Now that you don't have to worry about it anymore, would it have been a little strange feeling at all to wake up on Monday and be No. 1 if you had not won this match? What does it mean to you to have done both?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, it's going to be very different to wake up next morning knowing that you won just US Open, achieved No. 1 ranking, and it's kind of relief, you know, because you do all the routines for the past two, three weeks. It's a lot of work, a lot of nerves also.

Yeah, I feel that it's going to be amazing to wake up knowing that you achieved such big things.

Q. If you go back a year, you weren't doing so well, and then you've been on this incredible run to rise up the rankings, win the Tour Finals, win the Australian Open, become No. 1, now win the US Open. Was there something that happened a year ago that sort of changed you and launched you on this journey that you can think about? Any changes you made? Did you think it was possible?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Yeah, of course, I always believed that it's possible. We've been having great results. Of course, not every year is the same. I won Wimbledon in 2022. Then I wasn't winning the slams, but I played final of Australian Open the next year. I think we were always there.

Of course, on your path you learn a lot, a lot of things happening. I feel like now I have a great team, great people around me, and we just continue the work. It finally paid off, and I'm super happy, very proud.

It's never easy. Even now I finish here, I rest, I celebrate, and then still the tournaments are coming up. You still need to play. You still need to compete with the same players, and you still need to do your best.

Yeah, it's an amazing journey, and hopefully I can continue stay at the top as long as possible.

Q. In the first set you were missing a lot of first serves, but you were still dominating. I'm wondering how you felt about that and just what you were able to do to sort of keep her -- I think you were serving at only 28% in the first set, which is very low, but still, you won the set. How were you feeling about your game?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Yeah, I was thinking about this and that I need to really improve the first-serve percentage. It was not going. But then I was still trying to pick a spot and at least go a little bit more with the second serve.

Few double faults here and there, but I kind of had a plan in my head, and I was just sticking to it. Yeah, I feel like after, in the important moments, my serve got better, and it helped me a lot.

Q. How would you describe the rivalry you have now with Aryna, and what do you see in the future for it?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, I don't know what future will bring, but it's always very difficult matches against Aryna, and I feel like we push each other to be better after such tough battles. Yeah, I feel like not only with her, with also other players, top players. You always want to try something new, to change in your game, to be better.

I don't know what future is going to bring, but I hope success and some more wins.

Q. Four years ago after you won Wimbledon, you came here, played on Court 12 and lost in the first round. I know you were not too pleased about that placement of being on Court 12.

ELENA RYBAKINA: Actually, I was not saying anything. I was okay.

Q. My apologies. How has your love of New York grown from that moment after winning Wimbledon and being on the outer courts to obviously now?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Yeah, well, I came here first time ten years ago as a junior, and for me it was already such an amazing place, and it was so loud, so different from other places.

Honestly, after winning Wimbledon, a lot of things was happening that year also. I feel like, especially here, no matter which court you play, it's always full. It's always amazing atmosphere.

For some reason, New York wasn't my best place for tennis for the past years, but definitely now it changed, and I hope that next time when I come, it's going to begin until the very end.

Q. You were just saying about celebrating. How will you celebrate? Dance all night? Get drunk? What will you do? Was this the toughest of the three majors to win?

ELENA RYBAKINA: I feel like they are all very difficult but in different ways. Definitely I was nervous the same as other slams finals. You don't sleep so well. You don't eat that well.

I feel like this tournament was just kind of more stressful because I was playing for No. 1 one of the matches, and then, of course, this injury which happened week before. So every day was kind of a challenge, but I felt like in these situations I was more calm than when similar things were happening, like, before.

Q. Celebrate?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Celebrate... well, with the friends, with the team, for sure. They've been helping out so much that actually don't know what we're going to do yet, but I'm sure it's going to be a lot of fun (smiling).

Q. It was just 23 days ago that you retired from that match in Cincinnati with Iga with your injury. I'm curious to know, you said yourself that you were shocked that you were able to be back and healthy. When you took the week off without the racquet, what was that time like? What did you do during that week? How did you manage to get in good enough shape to win this title?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, it wasn't the best time, for sure, because I was so upset. I didn't know actually how it's going to be day by day. We arrive to New York. We did MRI. It didn't look that great. We had to talk with a lot of doctors to get opinion what we should do.

I was lucky enough to have very good doctor. She's in Australia. She was on the phone with us all the time, and somehow with the team we made a plan, and we were sticking to it, every day discussing what we can do.

Yeah, for seven days I was just going from my hotel room to the gym, three hours there spending, a lot of recovery, treatments. Yeah, couple dinners to also a little bit switch the mind.

We went first day I think when we arrived to the cinema. Yeah, after that, I just continued to work, but unfortunately, not on the court.

Q. In the last game of today's match you made two double-faults and two aces. Eventually you closed up the match with ace, which is very beautiful. What causes this thing? Did you try to, you know, go for more on that serve, or you felt some, like, pressure?

ELENA RYBAKINA: I don't know. Of course, it was pressure. It was nerves. It was difficult to keep the focus. I feel like in the first serve I actually wasn't going that big, but then in the second, yeah, maybe I was just stopping the arm.

I think it was coming pure out of emotions, and you know that on the other side is a great player, and she can go for her shots and that I actually need to win it myself. Yeah, I feel it was just a lot of pressure, nerves.

Q. You've gone to the World No. 1 right now, won Australia and Wimbledon and the US Open titles. Getting into 2027, is your focus going to be more on achieving that elusive career Grand Slam, and would that be your main priority getting to 2027?

ELENA RYBAKINA: Well, the main priority, as I was saying before, I'm not getting younger, is try to keep myself healthy and definitely choose the calendar correctly, the training process. Of course, the goal is always the biggest tournaments, you want to win them, so the Grand Slams, and yeah, just try to find the balance, try to be stable.

Yeah, we will see what's going to happen, but definitely it's still a lot of work to do. The job never done, to be honest.