By Christian Radnedge
LONDON (Reuters) – Playing on Wimbledon’s Centre Court would be a nervous time for anybody, but having Roger Federer watching from the front of the Royal Box significantly ramped up the pressure, Elena Rybakina said on Tuesday.
Swiss Federer, the record eight-times All England Club champion, was the guest of honour on the show court as Rybakina began her title defence in uncertain fashion by dropping the first set before beating American Shelby Rogers 4-6 6-1 6-2.
The 24-year-old, who also came from a set down to beat Ons Jabeur in the final last year, said experience counted for nothing when you have a sporting icon watching your every move.
“Yeah, maybe that’s why I was nervous because actually I really like Roger. When I was younger, I was always watching him play,” the Kazakh told a press conference.
“The year after to be again on this court with the same crowd, it was really special.
“First matches, I think they’re always tough I would say, like, mentally to get to the rhythm of the tournament. So hopefully the next match is going to be easier.”
The first set was where Rybakina looked to have suffered from having almost zero preparation on grass. Illness forced her to withdraw from the French Open in the third round and she missed a warm-up event in Eastbourne.
However, she quickly regained her rhythm and the third seed will look to become only the second woman in the past 10 years to win back-to-back Wimbledon titles after Serena Williams in 2015 and 2016.
“Physically. I’m feeling good. Of course, maybe I’m missing a bit some things here and there because we didn’t put enough hours or maybe the hours we wanted to do,” Rybakina said.
“But overall I feel good. I think with every match, I’m going to just also get in physically more ready for all the matches.”
(Reporting by Christian Radnedge,; Editing by Ed Osmond)
