As Elena Rybakina found herself trailing Zheng Qinwen by a set and a break in their intense group-stage clash at the WTA Finals in Riyadh on Monday, the odds were stacked against her. Nevertheless, she fought valiantly, managed to break back, and as her confidence soared, her formidable serve, one of the most potent weapons in the sport, began to click. Rybakina surged through four consecutive games to force a decisive final set.

This sequence from Rybakina served as a testament to the high level of play she has consistently delivered, solidifying her status as one of the top players on the WTA tour. However, this time, her resurgence was short-lived. She visibly struggled with fatigue in the final set, allowing Zheng to regain control and secure her maiden victory at the WTA Finals, sealing the match with a 7-6 (4), 3-6, 6-1 scoreline.

Rybakina's battle with fatigue and her 0-2 record in Riyadh highlight her challenges at the end of a grueling season. The year started on a high note, positioning her alongside Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka as one of the leading players of her generation. She appeared to be on the brink of taking the next step in her career by securing her second grand slam title, following her breakthrough win at Wimbledon in 2022.

By the semi-finals of the Madrid Open in May, Rybakina had amassed a 30-4 record in 2024, with three titles under her belt, including a remarkable victory over Iga Swiatek on clay en route to her Stuttgart Open triumph. Even in defeat in Spain, a grueling three-set loss against Sabalenka in one of the matches of the year, her performance only heightened the anticipation surrounding her.

However, these high expectations quickly faded in the latter half of the season due to various factors. Rybakina has faced health issues since last year, and in 2024 alone, she has withdrawn or retired from 10 events due to a variety of illnesses and injuries. Although Rybakina has been reluctant to delve deeply into her health issues, even chastising reporters for repeatedly asking about it during the French Open, she has acknowledged insomnia as one of her challenges this year.

Even during her successful periods, Rybakina's partnership with her former coach, Stefano Vukov, garnered attention. Vukov, a relatively young Croatian coach, was Rybakina's first dedicated, individual coach from the time she fully committed to tennis at the end of her teenage years. Together, they achieved significant success, propelling her ranking and culminating in her first grand slam victory at Wimbledon in 2022.

However, Vukov's intense coaching style did not sit well with onlookers. His highly critical and negative presence during matches was particularly jarring given Rybakina's reserved demeanor. In practice sessions, he would constantly interrupt her with instructions after almost every point. This coaching dynamic drew criticism from several prominent former players, including Pam Shriver, though it also garnered some support.

After withdrawing from the US Open due to injury, Rybakina decided to part ways with Vukov. In the lead-up to her matches in Riyadh, she revealed one of the most surprising coaching changes in recent years: starting next season, she will be working with former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, who coached Novak Djokovic to 10 grand slam titles between 2019 and 2024.

Having been sidelined for over two months, the WTA Finals came too soon for Rybakina, and she is now out of contention for the semi-finals. Next year, one of the most pressing questions on the tour will be whether Rybakina can regain her form, improve her health, and reassert herself among the elite.

As Rybakina suffered her second defeat, top seed Aryna Sabalenka continued her dominant run by defeating fourth seed Jasmine Paolini 6-3, 7-5, moving to 2-0 in the tournament and securing the Purple Group. Sabalenka, who saved two set points in the second set after a spirited fight from Paolini, will clinch the year-end No 1 ranking if she beats fifth seed Rybakina in their otherwise inconsequential match on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the winner between seventh seed Zheng and Paolini will join Sabalenka in the semi-finals.

While the opening day in Riyadh attracted a decent crowd, attendance has been sparse on days two and three. Once again, the world's best female tennis players are competing in one of the sport's biggest events in front of a disappointingly small audience.

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