Kazakh tennis player Elena Rybakina has expressed her disapproval of the performance byes rule in tennis, citing concerns about its fairness and transparency. Rybakina, who won the 2022 Wimbledon championship, has been vocal about her frustrations with the rule, particularly in the context of recent tournaments like the Tokyo Olympics and the WTA 1000 event in Beijing.

Rybakina believes that it’s not in the best interest of the sport to have the world’s top-ranked players, including the No. 1 player, competing in the first round without receiving byes. In Tokyo, she criticized the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) for not awarding her a top-4 seeding and subsequently withdrew from the event.

One of her main concerns is the lack of clarity surrounding the performance byes rule. She stated that she and her coach were not adequately informed about how the rule would be applied, leading to confusion and frustration among players.

The performance byes rule, which grants certain players a pass through the initial rounds based on their ranking or previous performance, has faced criticism from various players, including Rybakina. As discussions about the rule continue, players and tennis authorities must work together to address concerns and maintain transparency in the sport’s regulations.

Rybakina in Beijing, ranking, and results in 2023

At the moment ranked no.5, Elena has an overall 45-12 record in 2023. Rybakina is currently playing in Beijing where she toppled the world no.23 Qinwen Zheng 6-1 6-2, the world no.53 Tatjana Maria 7-5 6-0 and the world no.60 Mirra Andreeva 2-6 6-4 6-1.

The Kazakhstani has won 2 titles in 2023 in Indian Wells and Rome. The Kazakhstani was the finalist at the Australian Open and in Miami (Miami Open).

Rybakina won 5 titles in her career: 2 on hard courts, 2 on clay courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of her titles)