Elena Rybakina would not be at this year’s US Open if the No 1 ranking were not on the line.
That is according to Andy Roddick, who believes the second seed is still “hurt” after pulling out of the Cincinnati Open last month due to an ongoing Achilles tendon injury.
The Australian Open champion eased into round two of the US Open with a 6-3 6-2 win over 17-year-old Thea Frodin on Tuesday but former world No 1 Roddick is concerned about her going forward.
The 2003 US Open winner felt the 27-year-old’s movement was impaired against the American wildcard but that her ballstriking was as good as ever.
He said on the latest episode of Served, “Rybakina, it was strange. She hit the ball amazingly well, was kind of not moving for balls. I think she’s hurt.
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“She would like bleed to the corners and then like not urgently move in, right? There were these little things where she was kind of protecting.
“So I don’t know where she’s at. She hit the ball perfectly, like served and returned. It was unbelievable. Maybe she’s freed up because she knows she can’t… the biggest gift you can give a tennis player is clarity. Like even if she’s injured, she knows she has to do X, Y, and Z to even win it all.
“I don’t think she’s completely healthy, though. It seemed like there was a conscious choice not to like make quick bursts. The only chance she had and she executed it perfectly was ball striking. Middle of the court, try to hit a winner.”
Despite the one-sided scoreline, Frodin – who was 12 when she secured the role of Serena Williams‘ body double in the 2021 ‘King Richard’ biopic – held her own for large swathes of the contest.
It still wasn’t enough to knock out the two-time Grand Slam winner, who will take the No 1 ranking if she reaches the semi-finals in Flushing Meadows.
If she fails to get that far, Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff all have a shot at sitting on top of the world after the tournament. And with that carrot dangling in front of her, Roddick thinks that is why Rybakina is still in New York.
“I also don’t think she’d be playing this tournament if she was like seven in the world,” he added. “I think she wants that number one ranking and rightfully so, like you live with it forever, right? Can’t go much higher than that.”
Rybakina herself said she feels “okay” and will next play Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro in the second round. She currently sits 92nd in the world but the 23-year-old has a career-high of 40.
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