"Elena Rybakina's going to make 10 Grand Slam finals with that kind of game and personality" - Mats Wilander
Mats Wilander heaped praise on reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina after she reached the 2023 Australian Open final.
The Kazakh defeated two-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka 7-6(4), 6-3 in straight sets to advance to her maiden Grand Slam final in Australia. She will next face fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka on Saturday at Melbourne Park in the summit clash.
Speaking to Eurosport, seven-time Grand Slam champion Wilander praised her performances over the last fortnight, remarking that Rybakina was just starting out in her career and predicted that she could reach 10 Grand Slam finals given how good she is.
"It's huge now and in five years, it's not huge because she's going to make 10 Grand Slam finals with that kind of game and personality. I mean, she's excited of course, but she's calm and mellow in that whole match and the situation that was at Wimbledon. I think she's just starting out," the seven-time major champion said.
Grand Slam finals in the next five years 
"She's just starting out..." 👀
Mats Wilander believes Elena Rybakina will go on to make 🔟 Grand Slam finals in the next five years 🔮
#AusOpen | @discoveryplusUK https://t.co/SQXoy5PFO7
The Swede also pointed out how he loved that Rybakina did not overly celebrate after reaching the final, knowing she still had a job to do on Saturday.
"I love it. The tournament is not over, it's a semifinal and you feel early on that maybe excited. No, because the goal is to win the tournament and the goal is to win many more of these," he added.
"Yeah, it's going to be a tough battle" - Elena Rybakina on facing Aryna Sabalenka in Australian Open final
Elena Rybakina admitted that she expects a tough encounter against Sabalenka in the final of the 2023 Australian Open. In her post-match press conference, she opined that it would be tough for both of them to hit big serves throughout the match as the conditions are slower at night.
"Yeah, it's going to be a tough battle. I think as today maybe I will not have to serve that big, that fast, so it doesn't really matter the speed. It's important to have a good placement on the serve. In these conditions, to serve full, full power, it's not easy. The ball is not really going."
"Yeah, the same on the baseline. Just to play more deeper and do the same thing, try to come forward, just to expect maybe longer rallies than usual," she said.
Elena Rybakina also touched on her clash against Azarenka and how she survived it, commenting that she was just focusing on herself when it got tough on the court -- which ultimately helped her get through in the end.
"Yeah, I was focusing on myself because, as I said, conditions were completely different. I couldn't get free points on my serve that easily like during the day when I played the matches. I knew that I need just to adjust. I was doing the correct things. It was just a matter to be more focused on these important moments," she stated.