Elena Rybakina reacts to Sabalenka absence ahead of Stuttgart

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Elena Rybakina has a chance to narrow the gap between herself and Aryna Sabalenka in Stuttgart this week.

Rybakina is currently ranked world number two, matching her career-best ranking, after winning the Australian Open and reaching the final at Indian Wells earlier this season.

The Kazakhstani player has been clear about her ambitions, openly stating that becoming world number one is a goal for 2024. It is something she has regularly spoken about since breaking into the top three of the WTA rankings in January.

Sabalenka’s withdrawal from Stuttgart offers Rybakina another opportunity to gain ground, and she was asked whether this added any extra motivation heading into the tournament.

Elena Rybakina says she is not focused on ranking points in Stuttgart

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Rybakina won the tournament in 2023 but chose not to defend her title last year. Now back as the top seed, she was asked during her pre-tournament press conference if Sabalenka’s withdrawal had given her extra motivation to climb the rankings.

“I don’t really think about it so much, because she’s not here, but I still need to perform,” responded Rybakina.

“That’s the first thing. And if I do the right things, I think the most important to get, achieve this and somehow to maintain, and it’s very difficult, yeah, difficult goal, and I’m working for it, so hopefully it will happen.

“But I don’t really look at the points each tournament. I just know that I need to do well, at this point to come almost till the end of the tournament no matter what I play. Yeah, it’s mostly about improvement and consistency. If it happens, it’s great.”

What Stuttgart could mean for Rybakina’s bid to become world number one

Sabalenka strengthened her hold on the top ranking after completing the Sunshine Double last month, giving her a lead of 2,917 points over Rybakina.

But with Sabalenka dropping 130 points as last year’s finalist and Rybakina having nothing to defend from 2023, there’s an opportunity for the gap to close further this week.

A title win for Rybakina in Stuttgart would cut Sabalenka’s lead to 2,287 points. More importantly, it would also shift momentum in the season-long race for world number one.

The race tallies points earned during this season and offers a clearer picture of who is in form and pushing towards ending the year at number one. After Miami, Sabalenka led by 316 points over Rybakina, but that could change quickly.

If Rybakina reaches just the final in Stuttgart she will move ahead of Sabalenka in this season’s standings.

This part of the calendar could be key for her campaign. In 2023 she didn’t collect many ranking points during clay season so there’s little pressure to defend results while chasing Sabalenka.

Rybakina opens her clay court campaign against Diana Shnaider at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart as she looks to build early momentum on clay this year.

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