Elena Rybakina defeated Greet Minnen 6-2, 6-3 at Roland-Garros but it was her exchange with reporters after the match that caught the attention of most.
Following the world No.4‘s straight-sets victory, which paved the way for a second round appearance, the Kazakh player faced journalists in her press conference, but it was clear she was not impressed with the line of questioning.
“How do you feel, physically, compared to last year … and did the cold and wet conditions today affect any of your game plan?“ one reporter asked.
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“No it didn‘t affect (me) in any way. I know how to play in different conditions,“ she said with a blank face.
“For sure, physically, I‘m much better than last year, since I had to withdraw — I had COVID, so of course now I‘m much better.
“I don‘t know, guys, the questions are quite the same, so I don‘t know what to say any more.“
Elena Rybakina Twitter
Her sense of frustration seemed to build as the next question came in.
“How does it feel with that roof on that court?“ another journalist asked.
“Same as previous years, guys,“ she responded bluntly.
A third reporter asked: “You‘ve (made it to) the quarter-finals (here), you‘ve already won a slam, so you know how it is to win a slam. So, what do you think the difference is to get to the title, to get to the finals in Roland-Garros — what are the things you have to do to get to that title?“
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Rybakina said: “It‘s quite basic; you need to work hard, do all the things (that) usually you don‘t want to do… simple questions, simple answers. So, guys, something else?“
One of the journalists opted to take a different approach when she asked about the player‘s outfits, but even that was not good enough.
“Am I right in thinking this is the first time you‘re wearing a custom kit with Yonex?“ another reporter asked.
“No, I was last year also in Yonex,“ Rybakina responded.
The same reporter asked a follow-up: “What kind of made you decide with these colours and what‘s the process of you choosing the outfits?“
But Rybakina was left less than impressed again.
“These colours? These colours, I didn‘t choose — it was the brand who chose for me,“ Rybakina sighed.
“Some other questions?“
It‘s often been noted Rybakina shows little emotion, even when winning.