Elena Rybakina is looking forward to her first match at the 2026 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. The 26-year-old won the long-standing Stuttgart tournament in 2024. Conditions in the Porsche Arena suit her game. The indoor clay is a good place to return to the surface she said. Adapting is made easier here as there is no wind and sun in the arena. “It’s really nice to start my clay court season in Stuttgart,” said the current world No. 2.
After the Sunshine Double at the WTA 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami, she initially took a few days off said Rybakina. She then focussed on the physical work side of things. After the long tournament weeks in USA, she felt her fitness had dropped a little bit in the last match and has therefore been working on it in the past few days. On the whole, she is satisfied with her preparations.
Consistency as the key
With a view to the world rankings, Elena Rybakina was clear about her intentions. She still has the goal of topping them one day. Decisive for her is not to continually focus on the points or particular rivals but her own performance. Important is putting the right things into practice on the court and above all remaining consistent. “It is mostly about consistency and improvement,” she said. If it happens then it would be great for her.
She feels the previous months have been positive. After her excellent start to the season which included winning the Australian Open title, she singled out above all the consistency that has been prevalent in her game since the end of last year. It is the aspect she and her team can be proud of. She has been basically able to keep her level up even in the phases when she was not always 100 per cent fit.
Porsche in tennis
The Porsche Tennis Grand Prix is the flagship of the Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG‘s worldwide involvement in women’s tennis. First played in 1978, the Stuttgart WTA tournament stands for tradition and innovation, just like the Porsche brand. As the most loyal sponsor of women’s international tennis, Porsche has accompanied the WTA’s oldest indoor event right from the start. Porsche has also been a premium partner of the “Deutsche Tennis Bund” (DTB – German Tennis Association) since 2012 and is committed to fostering up-and-coming players in the Porsche Talent Team.
