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Why Wimbledon champ Elena Rybakina ditched Russia for Kazakhsthan

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Elena Rybakina created tennis history on Saturday by getting the better of Ons Jabeur.

The 23-year-old came from a set down to beat the Tunisian and in the process become Kazakhstan’s first ever Grand Slam champion.

Elena also knocked out former world number one Simona Halep and Australian Ajla Tomljanović on her way to the final.

However, this triumph has raised important questions regarding the link between sports and politics.

The background

World No  23, Elena Rybakina holds a Kazakhstani passport.

The Moscow-born Rybakina switched flags from Russia to Kazakhstan in 2018.

Dave Miley, tennis director at the Kazakhstan Federation said: “Lots of players are born in one country and represent another.”

“Cameron Norrie chose to represent Great Britain, not New Zealand.”

“Elena wanted to change her country and the International Tennis Federation approved it.

“Elena’s been representing Kazakhstan for four years and has a Kazakhstani passport.”

However, the irony of the situation is hard to ignore.

Due to the Ukraine war, Wimbledon banned all players from Russia and Belarus.

However, the Wimbledon champion is a player who was born in Russia and still lives there!

He jibed: “Elena lives in and grew up in Moscow.”

“The royal family will have to congratulate someone from Russia.”

Why did Elena become Kazakh

Kazakhstan became an independent country in the early 1990s, seceding from the former Soviet Union.

In recent years, the oil-rich nation has been on a mission to recruit Russian players to compete under the Kazakh flag.

This initiative has been spearheaded by Kazakhstani billionaire Bulat Utemuratov, head of the country’s tennis federation, who is worth nearly 4 billion USD.

The press call it the ‘Rent-a-Russian’ phenomenon.

Rybakina is not the first to make the switch.

Alexander Bublik, Mikhael Kukushkin, Dmitry Popko and Andrey Golubev, are some other players who were born in Russia but have swapped their passports to Kazakhstan.

The Kazakh offer is hard to refuse as it guarantees attractive financial incentives.

Elena has admitted that pursuing her sporting career was difficult for her family financially, until the offer came from Kazakhstan.

Elena grateful to Kazakhsthan

The big-serving Rybakina was cheered on by the president of the Kazakhstani Tennis Association from the players box.

Elena too, made a point of thanking him in her victory speech on Centre Court.

She said, “I appreciate because you came to support me in the semi-final and now in the final and it’s unbelievable so I want to say a big thanks and to the rest of my team.”

Asked if she still ‘feels Russian’, Rybakina said, “What does it mean for you to feel? I mean, I’m playing tennis, so for me, I’m enjoying my time here.”

‘I feel for the players who couldn’t come here, but I’m just enjoying playing here on the biggest stage, enjoying my time and trying to do my best.

‘I’m playing already for Kazakhstan for a long time. I’m really happy representing Kazakhstan.

‘They believed in me. There is no more question about how I feel. It’s just already a long time, my journey as a Kazakh player.

‘I was born in Russia, yes, but I’m representing Kazakhstan. I don’t know why we have to come back to this.”

Congratulations Elena for achieving your dreams, albeit under a different flag!

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WATCH: Andy Rublev gets ‘defaulted’ for his argument with line referee against Alexander Bublik in ATP 500 Tour

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Andy Rublev was ‘defaulted’ by the officials for his unsportsmanlike conduct in the semifinal of the ATP 500 tour in Dubai. In the semifinal of the tournament against his childhood friend Alexander Bublik, Rublev was seen frustrated at the lime umpires. In fact, Bublik himself was frustrated at times at the referees. Given the intense nature of the match, both yelled at the officials.

The Russian then had an argument with the line referee after yelling. It led to him getting defaulted. One of the officials who knew Russian claimed Rublev had used foul language against the line referee. However, Rublev denied using any such slang. The Russian official claimed that the Australian Open 2024 winner called him ‘F***ing moron’. The fans are not too happy with the officials.

Watch the video of the incident here –

 

Andrey Rublev fue DESCALIFICADO en el ATP 500 de Dubai tras gritarle en la cara a un juez de línea.

Perderá todos los puntos de la semana y el prize money ganado.pic.twitter.com/9kCY5PQQCe

— Set Tenis (@settenisok) March 1, 2024

Rublev was ready to continue playing. However, the officials found Rublev not worthy to continue the match. It denied the fans of a thrilling end to the semifinal game. The scoreline was 6-7(4) 7-6(5) 6-5 when the incident happened. If not for getting defaulted, the fans believed that it could have had a great finish which they hoped for. The incident had a mixed opinion.

Andy Rublev to be penalized

While some believed that getting ‘defaulted’ was the right call from the officials, many believed that the Russians did not deserve to get defaulted, as it was a big punishment for an ‘unproven incident’. Fans were of the opinion that giving a warning to the 26-year-old would have been a better option. Regardless of this, the Australian Open 2024 winner will be penalized for his act.

While Rublev reached the semifinal of the event and confirmed a lot of prize money in the process, he would not get anything from the tournament. For getting defaulted, Rublev will not get the prize money and will lose his world rankings from the event. Daniil Medvedev and Humbert will face each other in the semis. The winner of the match will take on Bublik in the final.

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WATCH: Victoria Azarenka taunts her opponent after straight sets win in Qatar Open

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The 2024 Qatar Open saw controversy erupt during the Victoria Azarenka vs Jelena Ostapenko’s match. The veteran tennis player was seen taunting her opponent after an easy win late on Wednesday night.

This latest win for Azarenka over Ostapenko was her fifth against her opponent. As the game ended Victoria Azarenka could be seen tapping her temple area. This was a signal to her opponent about the superiority that she holds.

Watch the video below:

The match ended in just under 90 minutes as the veteran won the match with the score reading 6-0, 6-3. There was more drama once the match ended as Ostapenko decided to offer her racquet for a tap. This was in diversion from the regular handshake to show the right spirit. Veteran player Azarenka decided to ignore the gesture and moved to shake hands with the chair umpire.

Victoria Azarenka’s win marred by controversy

Despite posting a dominant win over Jelena Ostapenko the Tennis world wasn’t happy with Victoria Azarenka. The antics from the veteran player didn’t sit down well with many fans across the world.

Victoria Azarenka now will play two-time Qatar Open winner Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals. 34-year-old Azarenka had spoken about her motivations during a recent interview she did with the media. “When I was young, all I wanted to do was win the Grand Slam and the number 1 and I’ve achieved that. I wanted to continue and repeat that feeling. After I had Leo, my priorities shifted a bit” said Azarenka.

The tennis star is currently ranked world number 33 and was ranked at the top in 2012. Her two Grand Slam title wins came when she won the Australian Open two times in 2012 and 2013. The last time she came close to the Championship title was when she reached the US Open final in 2020. Naomi Osaka won the title beating Azarenka to claim a famous win.

Further speaking to the media, the 34-year-old said “I had to find a way to balance myself a bit. Where I don’t feel guilty for missing out on some of the time with him and dedicate myself to the craft. I think I found a balance through understanding that I’d love for him to see how hard I work and how much I put into it”

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Shoaib Malik’s third marriage affects Sania Mirza, son gets bullied in school

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Sania Mirza

Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik’s son Izhaan have reportedly faced bullying in his school. Following the third marriage of Malik which took place recently with Sana Javed, a TV actress and a model in Pakistan, which was her 2nd marriage, there has been bullying from the students at the school of Izhaan. The Pakistani media has reported the issue of Sania’s son recently.  

Shoaib, the former cricketer of Pakistan, took to his social media handle and announced his third marriage with Sana. Sania has been facing bullying on social media since then. It has been spread to their children for none of his mistakes. When one of the media personnel met Izhaan after the third marriage of Malik, it was reported that he was mentally disturbed. The situation looks to be worse with the latest incident. 

To add salt to the wounds of the child, the latest bullying has disturbed his peace of mind. Sania is reportedly concerned over the issue. Sources close to the Indian Tennis player claim that Izhaan is not going to school following the treatment received from his peers in the school. Netizens have condemned the act of those involved in bullying Izhaan for none of his mistakes. 

Call for awareness among children regarding sensitive topics

Sania has not reacted to the incident yet on public platforms. However, it is a growing concern to see the children of the popular personalities getting treatment for none of their mistakes. Sania will soon join the squad of RCB for the Women’s Premier League in India. She will continue to fulfil her role as a mentor of the side. Things will be challenging for the Indian Tennis player in the upcoming days. 

Following the latest reports that have claimed the bullying of Izhaan, there has been a call for emphasis on creating awareness among the children regarding discussions on sensitive issues. Malik had married Ayesha Siddiqui in 2002, a teacher in Pakistan, before marrying Sania in 2010. After nearly 14 years of being in a relationship with Mirza, Malik married for the third time in his life. 

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