‘You wanted to see emotions?’ Elena finally lets it flow

‘Poker-Faced’ Wimbledon Champ Breaks Into Tears, Targets More Slams

- Prajwal Hegde

London: When the tears finally came, it was a steady stream. Her face coloured and her voice shook. “You wanted to see emotion?” Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina asked. “Kept it too long,” she added of the whirlwind swirling inside her.

Much of Saturday evening was spent mulling Rybakina’s impassive visage following her maiden Grand Slam victory.

It was a historic moment for the Moscow-born pro’s adopted country Kazakhstan for whom she’s breaking new ground every day. She had scaled a peak, done justice. Didn’t she want to jump up and down? Toss her racket in the air? Rejoice?

Rybakina had been forced to flirt with the edges en route to victory, which had come at the end of a difficult road that saw her change nationalities. Then there were the questions on Russia politicizing her triumph before the query on her parents, who are probably in Moscow because of which she may not be able to see them anytime soon.