Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina’s match at the Australian Open has drawn scathing criticism, with some fans alleging that she is being treated unfairly due to her appearance and lack of marketability.
By defeating Tunisian Ons Jabeur in the Wimbledon final in 2022, Rybakina, then 23 years old, shocked the tennis community.
Rybakina became a naturalized Kazakh in 2018, although she didn’t advance in the rankings since Wimbledon wasn’t assigning points to Russian competitors because of the conflict in Ukraine.
Against Court 13 at Melbourne Park, Rybakina, who is still ranked No. 25, will take on Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto in the opening round.
Ben Rothenberg, a renowned tennis writer, has questioned the decision, asking why the champion player was moved to an outdoor court.
The current Wimbledon champion, Elena Rybakina, was banished to Court 13’s outlying areas for her opening #AusOpen match, he said.
I acknowledge that there is a recent women’s Slam champion glut, but has a Wimbledon champion ever been so promptly ignored?
Many people responded to the query, with some fans speculating that her appearance may have anything to do with the schedule.
Someone on Twitter said: “So insulting.” And you can be sure that they’ll have a player ranked in the 70s or 80s on a show court. Women have an issue with this. The men receive rewards for their COMPLETIONS. The women are diminished to their aesthetic appeal and marketability.
Another person retorted, “It doesn’t help that she’s not a big name at all in comparison to more exciting, crowd-drawing, marketable athletes.” Would a packed stadium shell out cash to watch her play against a lesser-known player? It stinks because you need to be well-known if you win a Slam. But…’
A third person explained: “They think she is not marketable.” Emma will very doubt compete at prime time on a prestigious court.
Sam Street, the sports editor, made light of the dramatic expulsion of Novak Djokovic by joking, “You should see what the Australian Open did with the defending Wimbledon men’s champion last year.”
Rybakina’s season hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts; at the Adelaide International, she only won one of her three matches.
She reached the third round of the Australian Open in 2020, which was her best performance there.
The scheduling of Dominic Thiem, the US Open winner, and fifth-seeded Andrey Rublev’s intriguing first-round encounter has also drawn criticism from the public.
On Tuesday at 11 a.m., the two will square off at John Cain Arena, which many say is an unusual time for two of the most well-known players on the men’s tour.
