Elena Rybakina has shunned suggestions that a Russian won Wimbledon after donating her £62,269 of her prize money to Kazakh tennis players. The world No 7 was born in Moscow but has represented Kazakhstan since 2018, though the discussion about her country of birth made waves when Russians were banned from competing.
Rybakina hit headlines when she won Wimbledon last year for reasons outside of her tennis. Russian and Belarusian players were banned by the All England Club last year in response to the Ukraine war, but the Russian-born star was able to compete because she has represented Kazakhstan since 2018.
However, it didn’t stop many claiming that a Russian player had in fact lifted the trophy in a year when Russians were banned. The 23-year-old fielded multiple questions about her nationality during The Championships and continued to explain why and how she changed allegiances four years prior.
And the world No 7 has now rubbished the Russia chat once again, as she gave back to Kazakh tennis by donating £62k of her prize money to up-and-coming players from her country. It’s something she promised after winning Wimbledon.
“I think it would be the right thing to organize a tournament or to establish grants for junior players because I myself got a lot of support in Kazakhstan,” she said at the time. “Now, it’s my turn to help the younger generation grow.”
Now, according to Qazmonitor, the four-time title winner donated £4,447 to 14 different under-18 female players from Kazakhstan. Linara Bulesheva, Polina Barabanova, Amina Nurmakhan, Ariana Gogulina, Satima Toregen, Eva Korysheva, Albina Kakenova, Asylzhan Arystanbekova, Dana Baidaulet, Ingkar Dyussebay, Aya Nupbai, Polina Sleptsova, Sandugash Kenzhibayeva, Zara Darken received the grants.
