Elena Rybakina hilariously reacts to her "social battery dying" during outing with Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz at pickleball event ahead of US Open
Elena Rybakina had a hilarious reaction to her recent pickleball outing ahead of the 2024 US Open. The Kazakh was joined by Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, and others at the event.
Rybakina has been relishing her time in New York ahead of her US Open campaign. The Kazakh made several pre-tournament appearances, including a few for her racket and outfit sponsor, Yonex. On Thursday, August 22, she also tried her hands at pickleball during the annual palace invitational at Lotte New York Palace alongside her colleagues, Alcaraz, Fritz, Caroline Wozniacki, and legend Andre Agassi. Pickleballers Milan Rane and Eric Oncins accompanied the tennis players on the court.
The group posed for several pictures at the event. However, many tennis fans hilariously claimed that Elena Rybakina bore a rather impassive look in one of their pictures.
The World No. 4’s photo soon made its way into a meme captioned:
"When your social battery dies in middle of a function."
Rybakina took the meme in stride, humorously responding:
"Facts," she wrote on Instagram, adding a laughing emoji.
Elena Rybakina makes first public on-court appearance at US Open 2024 after split with longtime coach Stefano Vukov
Elena Rybakina's 2024 campaign hasn't been smooth sailing. The 25-year-old added three titles to her name at the WTA 500 events in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi, and Stuttgart. She also featured in two 1000 finals—in Doha and Miami.
However, she has also been forced to skip a few events due to health concerns. Most recently, Rybakina pulled out of the Paris Olympics and the Canadian Open, citing acute bronchitis. She resumed her journey in Cincinnati but suffered a surprise loss to Leylah Fernandez in her opening match before heading to the Big Apple.
Interestingly, while Elena Rybakina has been a regular presence at various events in New York in the lead-up to the US Open, she was conspicuous by her absence on the courts. Her no-show raised concerns among tennis fans about her potential withdrawal. Just days later, the 2022 Wimbledon champion announced her split from her longtime coach Stefano Vukov.
"Hello Everyone, After 5 years, Stefano and I are no longer working together. I thank him for his work on-court and wish him all the best for the future. Thank you for all your support," Rybakina wrote on Instagram.
On August 24, Rybakina practiced at Flushing Meadows for the first time, albeit without fanfare. A day after her closed-door session at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the player made her first public on-court appearance. She was captured training with a new coach.
Rybakina starts her campaign on Tuesday, August 27 against Aussie tennis player Destanee Aiava.