"There is no money, but you hold on" - Elena Rybakina's father on contract offered by Russian Tennis Federation
Elena Rybakina's father Andrey has said that the Russian Tennis Federation (RTF) offered her a contract, but it was far from satisfactory.
The 23-year-old became the first Kazakh to win a Grand Slam singles title by triumphing at Wimbledon, where she beat Ons Jabeur in the final.
The moment Elena Rybakina became a Wimbledon champion 👏
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/gVCU9oqxx5
Before representing Kazakhstan, Elena Rybakina represented Russia, the country of her birth. Following her triumph at Wimbledon, where Russian athletes weren't allowed to participate, Russian Tennis Federation President Shamil Tarpischev claimed credit for her victory.
“It’s very nice. Well done Rybakina. We have won the Wimbledon tournament," Tarpischev said.
While Rybakina's father dismissed such claims, he revealed that the RTF offered his daughter a contract, albeit one that was hardly worth looking at.
"At some point, the federation sent me a contract for Lena," Rybakin said. "But I looked at him and felt sad. The essence of the contract is expressed in the well-known catchphrase: 'There is no money, but you hold on.'"
Rybakin hit out at the RTF for referring to his daughter as "our product" and opined that such things were due to "linguistic limitations."
"Honestly, I would be ashamed to send such a contract," Rybakin added. "And the approach itself is “our product”. Another would say - "biomass." Unfortunately, we have such an approach to individuals. I don't take offense at anyone. It's just that some things are said due to, let's say, linguistic limitations. There are only a few people who received a good education and achieved high results in sports."
Elena Rybakina's history at the US Open
Elena Rybakina recently competed at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, where she was eliminated in the quarterfinals. The 23-year-old sealed her place in the last eight by beating Mayar Sherif 6-3, 6-2, eighth seed Garbine Muguruza 6-3, 6-1 and Alison Riske 6-2, 6-4. She was eventually ousted by Madison Keys, 6-2, 6-4.
SEMIS 
🇺🇸 SEMIS 🇺🇸
@Madison_Keys takes down Wimbledon champ Rybakina 6-2, 6-4
#CincyTennis https://t.co/y6EpcknAKk
Rybakina is now preparing for the US Open, which kicks off on August 29. The Kazakh doesn't have a great history at the New York Major. In her first appearance in 2018, she didn't make it past the qualifying rounds.
In 2019, Rybakina was beaten by Karolina Muchova in the first round. In 2020, she made the second round before losing to Shelby Rogers. She did one better in 2021, making the third round before falling to Simona Halep.
With her first Major title in the bag, the Kazakh will look to better her record at Flushing Meadows.