Elena Rybakina has sought to explain why, despite dominating Emma Raducanu to knock her out of the US Open, she feels she got a bit lucky.
It is a questionable take from the 26-year-old, who was inspired throughout her clash with the Brit.
Every shot she hit had power and depth, and her opponent simply could not live with it. Realistically, there are very few players on tour who would have been able to.
She was rampant throughout and proved why she has to be considered a huge threat for this US Open title.
And yet, Elena Rybakina was measured and magnanimous in her post-match assessment of Emma Raducanu’s level.
Elena Rybakina explains why she got lucky vs Emma Raducanu
Speaking to reporters during her press conference, she first rated her own level before moving onto the threat Raducanu poses: “Today was a good performance for me and always not easy to play against Emma, even sometimes the score doesn’t show, but I know that against her, I know I need to play very aggressive and also try to play deep. So today I think I did pretty well, so I’m happy.”
“Well, uh, I think that first matches there are always tough and plus the opponents I played that I didn’t know much about them, never played before, and with Emma, we practised also a couple times, and as I said, I know that she’s a tough opponent.
“She’s been playing really well. So, of course, it’s like a different kind of focus, and I know that I need to stay on top of the rallies because she’s moving really well, and if you give her a chance, she will move the ball also. So, yeah, I was trying to just stay aggressive for my shots and play deep.”
Rybakina then admitted: “A couple of times I was a bit lucky.” She expanded on that debatable notion by claiming: “I was playing really deep and on the lines, which is very difficult, of course, to play back. So, yeah, I think of course, it’s all about the mindset, and now I think there is, as I said, only tough opponents that you need to always try to bring your best.”
Since that match, Raducanu has suggested that the best players raise their level when facing her. Given she has won just three of her 16 meetings against top-ten players, it feels like she may also just not yet be at the level needed to regularly trouble the sport’s elite.
Emma Raducanu’s 2025 Grand Slam season in review
With her exit from the US Open confirmed, that brings Raducanu’s 2025 Grand Slam season to an end.
And, whilst she did not come close to challenging for any titles, it still marks a year of significant progress.
Photo by Marleen Fouchier/BSR Agency/Getty Images
After all, it’s the first season since 2022 where she has actually played in all four events, having qualified from on merits of her own ranking and retained her form and fitness.
After so many years of inconsistency and injury scares, it’s refreshing to see Raducanu play regularly, reaching the third round of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, and the second round in Paris.
This year should provide the foundation for plenty of future successes and will likely be looked back on with great fondness, given how integral it could be in the long term.