After leading the US Open from the outset, Elena Rybakina’s post-match news conference lasted a mere ninety seconds.
The world No. 4 spoke for 87 seconds while answering enquiries over her recent breakup with long-time coach Stefano Vukov.
It comes a few months after her meetings with the media went viral during the French Open, where she asked for better questions and was later shunned by the press.
Rybakina survived a tight second set to beat Australian qualifier Destanee Aiava 6-1 7-6(1) in the first round of the US Open on Tuesday. It was just her second match in more than six weeks and her first outing on the court since announcing her coaching split with Vukov.
The news raised eyebrows in the tennis world given how soon before a Grand Slam they decided to part ways. So it came as no surprise that Rybakina received questions about the end of their partnership after beating Aiava.
But her post-match press conference was over almost as quickly as it started, lasting just a minute and a half as she gave few details about the state of her team. When the moderator asked Rybakina to assess her performance, she said: “Thank you. Yeah, really happy with the win and looking forward for the next match, of course.”
