Elena Rybakina receives message from European president as she wins US Open and becomes world number one

Elena Rybakina recently won the US Open title, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

She also became world number one during the tournament. The President of Kazakhstan congratulated Rybakina after she beat Qinwen Zheng in the quarter-finals to secure the top spot.

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Rybakina has now received a message from a European president…

Slovakian president congratulates Elena Rybakina on her US Open win

Peter Pellegrini, the President of Slovakia, shared the following message on X.

"Did you know that the current world number one in women's tennis has called Slovakia home for the past six years? Although Elena Rybakina represents Kazakhstan on the international stage, Slovakia has become her second home. She spends part of each year here training and preparing for major matches and tournaments, making our country an important part of her sporting journey," he said.

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"It was therefore a great pleasure to welcome her to the Presidential Palace today and to personally congratulate her on her success at the US Open."

Pellegrini gifted Rybakina a bouquet of flowers as they sat down together in Bratislava with her coach, Stefano Vukov, discussing her recent triumph in New York.

Rybakina represented Russia from 2014 to 2018 before switching allegiances to Kazakhstan. The 27-year-old has no official link to Slovakia, but often trains there, especially before the clay-court season.

Slovakia haven't produced a Grand Slam singles champion since becoming an independent nation in 1993. And given the lack of talent on tour, Rybakina may be as close as they will get!

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Top five Slovakian players (Singles)

1. Alex Molcan – 94th (ATP)

2. Rebecca Sramkova – 146th (WTA)

3. Viktoria Hruncakova – 208th (WTA)

4. Mia Pohankova – 233rd (WTA)

5. Katarina Kuzmova – 286th (WTA)

What's next for Elena Rybakina?

Now a three-time Grand Slam champion and world number one, Rybakina's future looks bright. But when will she return to action?

Elena Rybakina's Grand Slam wins

2022 Wimbledon

2026 Australian Open

2026 US Open

WTA Rankings

WTA Rankings

The world number one will return to tennis in time for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Shenzhen, China. Rybakina and Kazakhstan have never won the title, but will surely fancy their chances in 2026. Kazakhstan will play Spain in the quarter-finals. The tournament begins on Tuesday, September 22.

Rybakina is expected to play the WTA 1000 China Open later this month. The Kazakhstani is a former semi-finalist in Beijing, but lost in the third round to Germany's Eva Lys last year.

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After Beijing, Rybakina will head south to Wuhan for the year's final WTA 1000 event. Rybakina has played the Wuhan Open twice before, losing in the quarter-finals in 2019 and 2025.

Rybakina could then play WTA 500 or WTA 250 events in China or Japan, before travelling to California to defend her WTA Finals title. She leads the 'Live WTA Race' and has already qualified for the season-ending championships, as has Sabalenka.

The 2026 WTA Finals will begin on Saturday, November 7.

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