NOT EVEN the standing ovation could distract Wimbledon from the huge embarrassment it must have been feeling.
Here on the hallowed turf of Centre Court was a Russian-born star being crowned women’s champion – just three months after the All England Club decided to ban Russian and Belarusian players from competing at SW19 due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The record books will show how Elena Rybakina’s 3-6 6-2 6-2 triumph over Ons Jabeur saw her become the first player from Kazakhstan to ever win a Grand Slam.
At 23, she became the youngest Wimbledon champion since 2011 and the first to come from a set down to win since Amelie Mauresmo defeated Justine Henin in 2006.
But the record books will also show that Rybakina was born in Moscow, still lives in the Russian capital and only defected to Kazakhstan as recently as 2018 after being promised more funding from that country’s tennis federation.
The Russians still claim her as one of their own and, in the build-up to this showpiece final, had made it clear how humiliating it would be if a member of the Royal Family had to congratulate Rybakina if she went on to win the biggest prize in tennis.
And so it came to pass when the Duchess of Cambridge walked down from the posh seats and on to Centre Court to present the new queen of Wimbledon with the Venus Rosewater dish, which had been resting on a table draped in a flag of the 86 TOTAL POINTS WON 80 Union Jack. The decision to ban Russians had divided opinion in the tennis world.
This story is from the July 10, 2022 edition of Sunday Express.
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This story is from the July 10, 2022 edition of Sunday Express.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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