Elena Rybakina is back playing on a surface where she enjoyed the greatest moment of her career so far.
In 2022 Rybakina stormed through the field at Wimbledon and upset Ons Jabeur in the final to lift the Venus Rosewater dish.
She has arguably the best serve in the game and the firepower to cause any of her opponents problems on court.
But it can take some time for her to find her range on grass after making the transition from clay, a surface that requires a different skillset.
What are the key changes Elena Rybakina makes when playing on clay compared to grass courts?
Elena Rybakina has the weapons to succeed on the faster hard and grass courts.
Clay typically does not favour players like the world number 11 who are tall with strong serves and aggressive and attacking ballstrikers, due to the slow nature of the surface.
Furthermore, it can be difficult to adjust as the grass court season commences the week after the clay-based French Open comes to an end.
Despite the odds Rybakina has enjoyed success on clay and she explained what she does to make the adjustments when switching to grass.
“It’s not easy to change from any surface, especially grass, which is very different after clay,” she told Youku Sports while at the Berlin Open. “The ball bounce is really low and you need to come to take the ball. It’s not coming to you.
“Also the movement is different. You cannot slide. You need to adjust. So I think it takes time, but thankfully we have nice tournaments before Wimbledon and hopefully by Wimbledon I will get my best form.”
How many titles has Elena Rybakina won on clay and grass courts?
Rybakina has won nine career titles, two of which have come on clay.
The 26-year-old’s first WTA Tour title came in Bucharest when she defeated home favourite Patricia Maria Tig 6-2, 6-0.
She claimed her second title on clay three years later at the Italian Open, which marked Rybakina’s first championship win at WTA 1000 level.
In 2024 Rybakina claimed the Stuttgart Open title, while handing Iga Swiatek her first loss at the event along the way, before winning her first title of 2025 at the Strasbourg Open.
As mentioned previously Rybakina lifted the Wimbledon title in 2022, which is the lone grass court trophy she has won.
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