“Didn’t expect coming here to be in the final” – Elena Rybakina upbeat despite Miami Open final loss to Danielle Collins in illness-hit run

For the second consecutive year, Elena Rybakina was the runner-up at the Miami Open, losing to Danielle Collins in the final of the 2024 tournament on Saturday.

Despite suffering a straight sets loss once again, this time 5-7, 3-6 in a little over two hours, to Petra Kvitova in last year’s final, the World No. 4 remained optimistic. She took into account the circumstances that led to her second place finish and remained upbeat.

During the previous two weeks, Elena Rybakina, a former Wimbledon champion, had to withdraw from Indian Wells due to an illness. This resulted in her losing the opportunity to defend her title at the WTA 1000 event. Despite being in Miami, she continued to experience pain and even chose to forgo practice on her days off in order to manage her workload effectively.

“Yeah, unfortunately it was long. It was like eight days without anything and then I had nothing. No no, honestly, no fitness, no tennis. So it was tough to come back. I’m. I’m still in pain after all these matches, but, I feel I’m feeling better and hopefully this extra day, which we have in between, helps,”Rybakina had said.

At the presentation ceremony following the defeat against Collins, Rybakina acknowledged that she and her team had not anticipated making it to the final given the circumstances, and were pleasantly surprised by her journey to the final and the determination she displayed throughout.

The Kazakh praised the Miami fans for fueling her performance, and proceeded to offer her congratulations to Danielle Collins on her victory. Collins’ triumph earned her the title of WTA 1000 champion, her third WTA Tour title overall, in her final year on the tour.

“Second year and it’s a final, it’s a great result, some consistency, so thank you so much team. We didn’t expect coming here to be in the final, to be honest, but it was a great two weeks, a lot of tough matches, great battles. And thank you so much to the fans for their support throughout these two weeks. It was really amazing and you give energy, you give fighting in all these tough matches,”Elena Rybakina said.

“Of course I want to congratulate Danielle with the great two weeks, great matches. You played here great tennis, for sure. Of course your team also,”she added.

Rybakina has proven herself to be a formidable opponent, as evidenced by four of her five matches before the final going to three sets. Throughout the tournament, the 24-year-old defeated notable players such as Maria Sakkari, Taylor Townsend, and Victoria Azarenka.

Elena Rybakina Reflects on Her Final Loss: “A Disappointment, But Still a Great Achievement”

At her press conference following her loss to Collins, Elena Rybakina reflected on her defeat in the Miami Open final from the previous year, highlighting the stark contrast between the two situations. She pointed out that this year, she had been vying for the Sunshine Double, a goal she ultimately came up just one win shy of achieving.

This year, the Kazakh felt fortunate to have played several strong matches leading up to the final. Despite the disappointment of falling just short, she still viewed her second place finish as a significant accomplishment and a source of pride.

“I think it’s different, but it’s just completely different situation. Last year I was coming from Indian Wells, and I knew to make Sunshine Double, everybody says it’s very difficult and with difficult conditions, big change from Indian Wells coming to Miami, so I was there also focusing match by match,”Elena Rybakina said.

“Here I was happy with two good matches, and then again I came to the final. So pretty much I wouldn’t say disappointing. I think last year and this year, it’s good result. Of course it’s not easy to lose in the final, but in the end, in the long run, I think it’s still a great achievement,”she added.