Elena Rybakina reacts to Aryna Sabalenka not playing in Stuttgart and says if she feels more motivated now

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Elena Rybakina has an opportunity to close the gap on world number one Aryna Sabalenka in Stuttgart.

Rybakina is at her career-high ranking of world number two, which she has achieved after winning her second Grand Slam at the Australian Open and reaching the final of Indian Wells.

The Kazakhstani has not shied away from targeting Sabalenka, with Rybakina stating her goal to become world number one this year.

Rybakina now has a chance to bridge that gap even further, with Sabalenka withdrawing from the tournament in Stuttgart, and she has revealed if this has made her more motivated.

Elena Rybakina claims she is not thinking about ranking points in Stuttgart

Rybakina is a former champion in Stuttgart, but she did not defend her title at the WTA 500 tournament last year.

Returning to the event as the top seed, Rybakina was asked about her goal to become world number one and whether she felt more motivated to take advantage of Sabalenka’s absence in her pre-tournament press conference.

“I don’t really think about it so much, because she’s not here, but I still need to perform,” responded Rybakina.

“That’s the first thing. And if I do the right things, I think the most important to get, achieve this and somehow to maintain, and it’s very difficult, yeah, difficult goal, and I’m working for it, so hopefully it will happen.

“But I don’t really look at the points each tournament. I just know that I need to do well, at this point to come almost till the end of the tournament no matter what I play. Yeah, it’s mostly about improvement and consistency. If it happens, it’s great.”

How will Elena Rybakina’s results in Stuttgart impact the race for world number one?

Sabalenka completed the Sunshine Double last month, which enabled her to extend her lead at the top of the WTA rankings to a sizeable 2,917 points.

However, as last year’s finalist in Stuttgart, Sabalenka is already confirmed to drop 130 ranking points and Rybakina can continue to bridge this gap, especially as she does not have any ranking points to defend.

Rybakina could limit Sabalenka’s lead to 2,287 ranking points if she wins her second title in Stuttgart, and the race is perhaps even more significant.

The race to the WTA Finals just tracks points earned in 2026, and is essentially a guide as to who has the advantage in the bid to end the season as world number one.

Sabalenka overtook Rybakina in the race after winning the Miami Open, with a current lead of 316 points.

However, Rybakina will have the advantage in the race to end the season as world number one if she even reaches the final in Stuttgart.

Rybakina has a big chance to close the gap on Sabalenka throughout the clay court season, as she earned significantly less ranking points than her rival at this same stage last year.

The 26-year-old will begin her clay court season in her opening match at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart against Diana Shnaider.