Elena Rybakina has been weighing up her potential competition for the 2024 Abu Dhabi.
She plays later today, having earned a bye into the Round of 16 due to her ranking. However, there was every chance the world number five could have been facing a former world number one, had things fallen into place.
Likely expecting more of a battle between Naomi Osaka and Danielle Collins, the Kazakhstani star previewed what a clash with the former might have looked like.
But what did Rybakina have to say about Osaka? We take a closer look…
What did Elena Rybakina say about Naomi Osaka?
Although this clash is not set to come to fruition, after the Japanese star was dumped out in straight sets, the praise sent her way still stands.
After all, we are still very much in the infancy of her comeback season, having missed the bulk of 2023 as she gave birth to her first child.
Rybakina, speaking before Osaka’s match with Collins, claimed: ‘Naomi is a great player, she’s just coming back now and still won’t be at her best but no matter what she’s a very dangerous and an experienced player. It’s not going to be easy, for sure, and it would be a very tough battle so we will see. Hopefully, it will go my way.’
Regardless, she will now face the American in today’s match.
A tough start to her comeback for Naomi Osaka
It has not been the fairy-tale return that Osaka would have dreamed of upon her return to tennis.
Although, it was never going to be.
The world number 757 has done what very few have managed in recent years, pushing her career to the side in order to have a baby. It was an admirable and brave choice, which also showcased the immense faith she holds in her ability to rise back to the top.
After all, she has admitted that she has aspirations of challenging the likes of Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, but is prepared to be patient for that time to come.
With Andy Murray enduring a similar inability to claim victory at the moment, he has now toyed with the possibility of dropping down to play on the ATP Challenger Tour in order to truly get back up to speed.
But, at just 26 years old, she has far more time than the legendary Scotsman to manage her rise.
The toll her pregnancy and time out the game will have had on her body is unparalleled, so the pressure-free environment she is working in is perfect for measuring her return to the top.
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