Elena Rybakina is the 2022 Wimbledon singles champion.
On Saturday, the 23-year-old upset No. 3 seed Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 and got to lift the prestigious Venus Rosewater Dish at the All England Club.
Rybakina, a Russian athlete representing Kazakhstan since 2018 when the country offered to fund her tennis career, entered the tournament ranked No. 23 and is the second lowest-ranked woman to win at Wimbledon. In 2007, Venus Williams won the title ranked No. 31.
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“I’ve never felt anything like this,” Rybakina said after the big win. “I didn’t even expect to be in the second week of Wimbledon.”
While Rybakina and Jabeur were each competing in their first Grand Slam final, the duo also made history for their respective countries.
Rybakina became the first athlete from Kazakhstan to make a singles Major final while Jabeur became the first Arab woman and first African woman to make a Grand Slam Finals.
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After the match, Rybakina expressed gratitude for the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who had attended her semifinal and final.
“A big thanks to the President,” Rybakina said. “I appreciate your support.”
Rybakina gets to take home a whopping $2,500,000 for winning the tournament – the most prize money awarded at Wimbledon.
