Elena Rybakina's French Open press controversy gets new chapter as Kazakh gets snubbed by journalists after R2 win

Elena Rybakina's feud with the media has taken on a new chapter as journalists snubbed the Kazakh player's press-conference following her 2024 French Open second-round victory. She comfortably saw off the veteran Arantxa Rus 6-3, 6-4 in just an hour and six minutes.

Rybakina played Greet Minnen in the first round and got off to a flying start with a 6-2, 6-3 win over the Belgian. However, during the post-match press conference, the Kazakh's responses to the questions were considered brief and curt. She also called out the media for being repetitive and lacking creativity in terms of the questions that they asked.

"Simple questions, simple answers, so guys something else," Rybakina said to one of the reporters.

This sparked polarizing reactions from the tennis fraternity. While many hailed the World No. 4 for rightly calling out the media, there were others who found her behavior towards the media to be disrespectful. The second group mostly consisted of journalists.

Now, a new controversy has erupted after Rybakina's second-round win against Rus. It has emerged that the Kazakh player has been collectively snubbed by the international media due to her behaviour in the previous press conference. (Via Daily Express)

"Of course, I care when I'm down. No one wants to play three sets" - Elena Rybakina during her on-court interview

While a post-match press conference wasn't held, Rybakina did get to express her thoughts on the match during an on-court interview. The 24-year-old was down 2-4 in the second set, and a loss there would have taken the match into a deciding set. However, she dug deep to win four games in a row, sealing the match in the second set itself.

Rybakina was asked about the thoughts that she had when she was losing the second set. She was also asked if she was worried or relaxed during that phase. She said that she was quite worried, as no player wants to play a three-set match.

Rybakina mentioned that she took a point-by-point approach and tried to push herself. She also mentioned that she wasn't happy with her energy levels during the course of the match.

“Of course I care when I’m down… no one wants to play 3 sets. Today I was 2-4 down so I was trying to focus point by point and push myself. Energy wise I wasn’t that happy today with myself,” she stated. (According to The Tennis Letter)

Elena Rybakina will play Elise Mertens in the third round of the ongoing Roland Garros.