For Elena Rybakina, rising to world No.1 was the fruition of a long-held ambition. Maintaining that dominance now presents a fresh challenge.
“The goal is always to win the biggest tournaments,” she said. “There’s still a lot of work to do. The job is never done, to be honest."
It is a telling statement from a player whose past 12 months have flipped her personal narrative and transformed her standing in the game.
This time last year, Rybakina’s top-10 ranking and place in the WTA Finals were in jeopardy. She responding by winning her last 11 matches of the season, culminating in the WTA Finals crown in Riyadh.
It marked the beginning of a dominant period. After claiming the US Open, lifting the trophy in Ningbo and progressing to the Tokyo quarterfinals, the Kazakh heads into next month’s 2026 WTA Finals with the year-end world No.1 ranking secured.
It fulfilled a goal that a determined Rybakina kept firmly within her sights.
“I always believed that it was possible. We've been having great results. Of course, not every year is the same … [but] I think we were always there,” she said following her New York triumph.
“On your path you learn a lot. I feel like now I have a great team, great people around me, and we just continue the work.”
Central to the 27-year-old’s rise has been her ability to shift momentum on a storied rivalry with Aryna Sabalenka, her greatest challenger for the past four years.
Rybakina dethroned Sabalenka’s 99 consecutive weeks at No.1 in claiming her third Grand Slam title at the US Open.
Entering the year with a 0-2 record against Sabalenka at Grand Slam level, Rybakina knew she had to adapt.
She pointedly prevailed against her top-seeded rival in both 2026 hardcourt major finals; Sabalenka, by contrast, finishes a season without a major title for the first time in four years.
“It's always very difficult matches against Aryna, and I feel like we push each other to be better after such tough battles,” Rybakina said. “I feel like not only with her, with also other top players, you always want to try something new, to change in your game, to be better.
“I don't know what future is going to bring, but I hope for success and some more wins.”
Rybakina’s rise was reward for remarkable consistency. She has notched up more than 50 tour-level wins for the second straight year and once again record 40-plus hardcourt victories.
Maintaining those standards is now the priority.
“You still need to compete with the same players, and you still need to do your best. It’s an amazing journey and hopefully I can continue stay at the top as long as possible.”
Upcoming challenges offer ample motivation. Over the following months, Rybakina aims to defend her WTA Finals and Australian Open crowns.
Doing so would make Rybakina the first player since Monica Seles in 1993 to be two-time defending champion at both the WTA Finals and Australian Open concurrently.
"I have big goals. Of course time will show, but definitely we will keep on working,” she commented in Melbourne last summer. "Let's see what's going to happen."