Elena Rybakina has practiced with Coco Gauff ahead of her first match at the Madrid Open this year.
Rybakina won the title in Stuttgart last week to continue her impressive start to the 2026 season, which has also seen her win the Australian Open and reach a career-high ranking of world number two.
As she looks to continue her winning run, Rybakina has practiced with last year’s Madrid Open runner-up Gauff in the Spanish capital.
After hitting with the world number three, Rybakina has named Gauff’s two greatest on-court assets.
Elena Rybakina praises Coco Gauff’s speed and consistency
Rybakina will now look to adapt to the very different conditions in Madrid compared to the indoor courts in Stuttgart.
The Kazakhstani has had mixed results in the past in Madrid, with Rybakina reaching the semifinals in 2024, but winning just 50% of her eight matches in her four other appearances at the tournament.
Ahead of the 2026 Madrid Open, Rybakina was asked about the conditions after practicing with Gauff.
“The training was good,” Rybakina said in her pre-tournament press conference. “Here, of course, it’s much faster and it’s not indoors, so you need a little time to adapt. It was only my second day and I think I’m gradually improving.”
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Rybakina then commented more specifically on Gauff, highlighting speed and consistency as her two greatest strengths.
“I think she’s a great player,” Rybakina said about Gauff. “She’s a fighter, she moves very well on the court. She has a very strong serve and her backhand is generally very good.
“She’s a very complete player. Of course, we all have bad days, but her greatest strength is her speed on the court and her consistency in her game.”
Could Elena Rybakina play Coco Gauff at the Madrid Open this year?
Despite being two of the best players on the WTA Tour for many years, Rybakina has only ever played Gauff once before.
This was at the Canadian Open in 2022, where Gauff beat Rybakina 6-4, 6(8)-7, 7-6(3).
Rybakina and Gauff could play for the first time in nearly four years at the Madrid Open, but only if both players reach the semifinals.
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Some of the potential threats to this happening for Rybakina are Madison Keys, Jelena Ostapenko and Qinwen Zheng.
While for Gauff, she may have to play the likes of Jessica Pegula and Linda Noskova prior to the semifinals.
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