Ex-Slam semifinalist reveals her fear for Elena Rybakina: 'Hope that doesn't happen'

2014 French Open semifinalist Andrea Petkovic fears 24-year-old Elena Rybakina could get soccer famous person Harry Kane’s status of “not delivering when it issues essentially the most” if some issues maintain repeating. 

Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, began her 2024 season by successful the Brisbane Worldwide and making the Adelaide Worldwide quarterfinal earlier than shockingly dropping to Anna Blinkova within the Australian Open second spherical. When Rybakina returned to motion throughout this month’s Center East swing, she received a WTA 500 match in Abu Dhabi – completed as runner-up to Iga Swiatek within the ultimate of a WTA 1000 match in Doha – earlier than being compelled to withdraw from her Dubai quarterfinal match resulting from a gastrointestinal challenge. 

Addressing Rybakina’s outcomes and the way in which her marketing campaign at a WTA 1000 match in Dubai ended, Petkovic acknowledged that the Kazakh has had some nice outcomes this yr. However Petkovic additionally underlined that Rybakina has to schedule her tournaments the way in which that it permits her to be at her highest within the largest tournaments as a result of she is a prime participant and folks largely care about how she does on the largest stage. 

“That’s dangerous luck. That’s sort of dangerous luck however nonetheless it’s this theme of enjoying so effectively within the tournaments that lead as much as the necessary [tournament],” Petkovic stated on the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast. 

Petkovic’s concern for Rybakina: I am simply afraid of the Harry Kane state of affairs

During the last decade, Kane – who switched from Tottenham Hotspur FC to FC Bayern Munich in the summertime – has been extensively thought of among the best strikers in soccer over the past decade. However there’s additionally one destructive label positioned on Kane as some suppose the 30-year-old striker simply cannot get the job accomplished within the largest video games. 

“I’m simply afraid of the Harry Kane state of affairs. I stated it to you earlier than, Harry Kane, superb footballer, I like him a lot. He scores so many objectives and he’s at Bayern Munich now in Germany in order that’s why I do know this effectively however he did comparable issues in England. He’s such an ideal scorer after which it involves an necessary recreation and he simply can’t discover the aim and he’s lacking large probabilities and now he’s getting that status,” Petkovic stated. 

“He’s not that younger anymore and he’s gotten a status, in England and past, that he can’t rating in large video games. And that’s not precisely true, in fact he has scored in large video games however that’s simply the status he has now. And I hope that doesn’t occur for Rybakina,” Petkovic stated.

In her subsequent match, Rybakina will defend her title at a WTA 1000 match in Indian Wells, which she received final yr after beating Aryna Sabalenka within the ultimate.