Queen of aces Elena Rybakina: how she outplays the rest
Tennis star Elena Rybakina is known for her powerful serve - it's something she can rely on. This is how the Kazakh athlete uses a special technique to outplay her opponents.
At the 2024 Madrid Open, it happened again: Elena Rybakina pulled off the remarkable feat of serving three consecutive aces in her semi-final match against Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka ranked second in the world and two places ahead of Rybakina, repeatedly shook her head in disbelief. The powerful balls from her opponent just flew past her. It is also true that Sabalenka dramatically won the Madrid semi-final in three sets, but once again, this wonderful tennis match highlighted how exceptionally well Rybakina can serve. In this significant Masters 1000 event in the Spanish capital, Rybakina hit nine aces against Sabalenka in that match alone. Rybakina has already won three titles this year. It could have been a few more.
Discover how Elena Rybakina controls her emotions in the podcast below...
01
Serving up success
Tennis is always a game of data and statistics. If you take a closer look at Rybakina's serve numbers, you quickly get a feeling for how important the serve is to her overall performance. In her 35 matches to the end of May 2024, she produced a whopping 229 aces. That's 6.5 aces per match. No other player on the tour has such a record.
How strong her serve can also be seen from another number: Rybakina, who won the two Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Rome in 2023, has a serve rate of 72.1 percent of points won after the first serve. Her fastest serve was measured at the Billie Jean King Finals in 2022. At that time, the 2023 Australian Open finalist thundered the ball over the net at 202.5kph [125.5mph].
02
Honing the technique
If you look a little closer at Rybakina's serve, her most important shot is not just based on pure power. A lot of it is due to her precise ball toss. Using a very special technique, the Kazakh manages to ensure that the ball barely moves in the air. This helps her hit the perfect 'sweet spot' with the racket when she serves. Rybakina knows the importance of her serve, which is one of the best shots in women's tennis. And she continues to work towards perfection. She adapts and adjusts again and again.
In 2023, she made a small change to her serving motion to achieve more consistent execution: “It's just a matter of hitting more serves with the same motion, getting that power and timing just right. So it's a continuous work," she said. Rybakina's main goal when working on her serve is to improve her first serve rate. And there is progress. Last year's rate was 56.6 percent, and Elena is currently at 62.5 percent at the end of May 2024.
03
Beating the best of the best
Rybakina says her serve is “pretty OK”. That is, of course, a massive understatement, but with such statements, the 24-year-old also wants to draw some attention away from the apparent one-dimensionality of her game. Rybakina's successes are largely due to her patience and a new kind of control with which she has learned to play.
By beginning of July, Rybakina has already won 35 matches this year and lost only seven. It is an incredible record. Only the world number one, Iga Swiatek, has a better record (45/4). For Elena, in this now beginning crucial period of the season, it means managing her strength, recovering properly, and relying on what she does best: serving.
With your consent, this website shall use additional cookies (including third party cookies) or similar technologies to make our site work, for marketing purposes and to improve your online experience.
You can revoke your consent via the Cookie Settings in the footer of the website at any time. Further information can be found in our Privacy Policy and in the Cookie Settings directly below.
Privacy Preference Center
When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.
More information
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
Performance
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
Third Party Content Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by third-party providers of third-party content that is embedded on our site. They may be used by those companies to load, display, or in other ways to enable you to use that content. As this third-party content is provided by autonomous companies on their own responsibility, those companies may also use these cookies for their own additional purposes, such as marketing. Please refer to the privacy policies of those companies for that information. If you do not allow these cookies, you will not be able to use this third-party content embedded on our site, such as videos, music, or maps.