Photos: Elena Rybakina’s whirlwind welcome in Kazakhstan after Wimbledon triumph

Elena Rybakina received a hero’s welcome back home in Kazakhstan, after becoming the first player ever representing the Central Asian country to win a Grand Slam trophy with her Wimbledon triumph.

The 23-year-old embarked on a whirlwind cross-country tour in celebration, hitting up four of Kazakhstan’s major cities—Kokshetau, Karagandy, the capital Nur-Sultan (previously known as Astana) and Almaty, its largest metropolis—to meet with promising juniors, meet with the press, and even meet with the prime minister himself.

Rybakina was honored with an Order of Friendship, 2nd Class medal by the Minister of Kazakhstan, Alikhan Smailov, at a ceremony in Nur-Sultan. The civilian distinction was awarded for Rybakina’s “outstanding sports achievements and contribution to the development of international cooperation” throughout The Championships.

The 23-year-old also held a press conference, where she fielded questions about defeating Ons Jabeur in the final and how she felt meeting Novak Djokovic during the Wimbledon Champions’ Ball.

When the question of her Russian origins inevitably came up, as it had so many times at SW19—Rybakina switched to playing under the Kazakhstan flag in 2018, due to lack of financial support—the Moscow native set the record straight once and for all.

“That moment, which was almost five years ago, happened that way because I had a difficult question: what to do next?” Rybakina said. “I was about 17 or 18 years old. I had to decide whether I would try to play and stay in professional sports, or go and pursue my studies…

“We found each other, and at the end of the day I am very happy that my journey continues exactly with Kazakhstan. The history is happening together thanks to Kazakhstan.

“Thank you very much for your support.”

“Of course I have the passport… Here's the proof,” she added, holding up her Kazakhstani passport and national ID card with a smile.

The gesture was a response to comments made by Shamil Tarpischev, the president of the Russian Tennis Federation, who quickly took credit for Rybakina’s win—despite having apparently underfunded her throughout her career.

“Well done Elena Rybakina! We won Wimbledon,” Tarpischev told national press. "She is a product of Russian tennis."

This prompted Yuri Polskiy, vice-president of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation, to lob back: “In 2018, Tarpischev even said that he didn't consider Elena Rybakina to be a promising player.”

With that detail cleared up, Rybakina took to the country’s National Tennis Center for a reception with fans, presenting the enthusiastic crowd with the Venus Rosewater Dish from the balcony.

“I felt all your support throughout all the tournaments. I would like to share this trophy with you!” she told the crowd. “Thank you very much! Without my parents, without your support, none of this would have been possible.

“I really hope that this is not the last big victory like this, and that it motivates us. I hope that we will see each other again, and I will be able to spend more time in Kazakhstan next time.”

And in a charitable move, Rybakina also announced that she would be donating part of her $2.5 million Wimbledon prize money check to benefit causes in Kazakhstan that were close to her heart: junior tennis development, and a local animal shelter.

“First of all, of course, I would like to help the juniors. Most of [the money] will go to them,” she said during the press conference.

“And the second important point for me: I was at the animal shelter, and I was very moved by it. So I would like to allocate some money for the animal shelter.”

Rybakina might be living it up like a champion in Kazakhstan, but it looks like her coach Stefano Vukov might not be laughing soon after losing a Wimbledon bet to the 23-year-old.

“If Lena wins Wimbledon, or any other Grand Slam, I will tattoo her name, with the date and her face somewhere,” he said in a video posted to Rybakina’s Instagram. “Not in [my] face, but somewhere.”

While we can’t wait to see what that tattoo will look like, don’t miss this important detail in the video: the credential badge that Vukov is wearing is from the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships—meaning this was a bet that was made over two years ago, during the Kazakh’s breakout season.

Back then, Rybakina made the tennis world sit up and take notice as she reached the final at four of her first five events of the season. She broke into the Top 20 for the first time as a result, before the COVID-19 lockdowns shut down the WTA season and put her momentum on ice.