Tennis in Kazakhstan is enjoying a real golden period at the moment, with Elena Rybakina leading the charge.
At just 27 years of age, she is a three-time Grand Slam champion, just one Roland Garros title away from completing the career Grand Slam, and the current world number one.
Her ascension to the top of the WTA Tour has hardly been rapid, and instead represents the benefits of working hard across a lengthy period of time towards an ultimate goal.
In the end, Elena Rybakina had more than earned her status as the world’s best player.
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However, she is not alone in helping create a sporting upsurge in Kazakhstan, with Alexander Bublik also playing his part on the men’s side.
It’s no surprise that Dias Doskarayev, the Vice President of the Kazakhstan tennis federation, is so overjoyed when discussing the progress his country have made within this sport, when speaking exclusively to Tennishead.
Elena Rybakina backed to win many more Grand Slams
Rybakina, naturally, dominated our conversation.
After all, she continues to excel on the WTA Tour, and yet Doskarayev remains excited at what is still to come from her.
Asked for his hopes for her future, he began by stating: “Elena Rybakina can win several more Grand Slam tournaments — that is a fact.”
He continued: “When she is feeling well and in optimal physical condition, she is capable of beating any player on the WTA Tour. She knows how to make the most of her abilities.
“Despite periodically dealing with serious injuries and health issues, she manages to recover and regain the form needed to compete at the highest level. She knows how to choose the right moment to produce her best tennis and compete for Grand Slam titles.”
It really does feel like, when she is playing her best tennis, there is nobody on the WTA Tour that even comes close to her.
The hope that she can find and retain this level is likely what provoked Doskarayev to predict: “I believe that over the next two to three years she will be able to achieve even greater success.”
Rybakina has, of course, already inspired an entire generation in Kazakhstan with her achievements.
However, with what is to come, her eventual impact on tennis in this country could be transformative.
Asked to expand on how Rybakina has helped them to develop tennis, Doskarayev added: “Elena Rybakina’s influence on the development of Kazakhstani tennis is immense. When an athlete achieves such success on the international stage, it motivates young players and helps them believe that they too can reach similar heights.
“Elena also consistently shares her experience with young tennis players through masterclasses and training camps. The Tennis Federation of Kazakhstan regularly organises such events in different regions of the country, and their number grows every year.
“Thanks to Elena’s success, the number of children wanting to take up tennis is also growing.”
Rybakina’s success is everyone’s success in Kazakhstan, and her humility makes her the perfect role model.
Kazakhstan tennis Vice President makes Alexander Bublik prediction
Whilst Rybakina added another trophy to her collection just last week, Bublik was busy showcasing his unique brand of tennis to his home fans in Almaty.
An exceptional ATP 250 tournament that resulted in Daniil Medvedev’s eventual success, it was great to see the Kazakhstan crowd react to seeing their top male prospect impress once again.
Even if the manner of his exit was devastating, retiring midway through the semi-final, it still represented yet another strong run for the ever-improving Bublik.
Doskarayev also had a bold prediction for the 29-year-old, continuing: “We always knew he had the potential to break into the world top 10, win major tournaments, and even claim Grand Slam titles.
“Alexander is capable of adapting to any surface. He has produced strong results at Roland Garros and the US Open, and has won tournaments on grass, clay, and hard courts. For him, what matters is that all the necessary factors align at the right moment, including good physical fitness and health.
“We hope he will be able to consistently hold a place in the top 20 or top 10 in the world rankings and achieve even more significant victories.”
This came after Doskarayev shared his bold vision for the future of the Almaty Open.
The future is bright for tennis in Kazakhstan
Speaking of the future, whilst we had the Vice President of the Kazakhstan tennis federation, it was imperative that we picked his brains on what the future holds for tennis in his nation.
After all, whilst Rybakina and Bublik are both excelling now, in a decade, both will likely be retired. They will be keen to have ushered in the next generation of homegrown superstars before that occurs.
And so, speaking about future prospects from Kazakhstan that the tennis world needs to keep an eye on, Doskarayev concluded by sharing these talents.
He admitted: “Many young Kazakhstani tennis players draw inspiration from the victories of Elena Rybakina and Alexander Bublik, as well as from the achievements of players who have successfully represented Kazakhstan on the international stage over many years, including in the Davis Cup — among them Mikhail Kukushkin, Andrey Golubev, and Yaroslava Shvedova, who achieved great success in women’s tennis.
“New names are now emerging in Kazakhstani tennis, and young players are already producing strong results in international competitions.”
Doskarayev then listed a handful of names to remember: “Amir Omakhanov reached the quarterfinal of the junior Australian Open and climbed to ninth place in the world junior rankings — a ranking that no Kazakhstani tennis player had previously achieved.
“Zangar Nurlanuly continued this trend and also achieved significant results. He reached the semifinals of two junior Grand Slam tournaments — the US Open and the Australian Open — and entered the top 10 of the world junior rankings.
“Akhmadi Makhanov won a top-tier tournament in Sweden and became one of the strongest tennis players in Europe in the under-14 age category.
“Worthy of special mention is Beibut Zhukaev, who successfully came through Wimbledon qualifying and became the first ethnic Kazakh to compete in the main draw of that tournament.
“We also have many promising female players producing strong results in the under-14 and under-16 age categories, including Asylzhan Arystanbekova, Eva Korysheva, and Aiym Kanagatova.
“All of these achievements show that we are moving in the right direction. The emergence of new talented players gives us confidence in the future of Kazakhstani tennis.”
The emergence of Rybakina and Bublik was no fluke; tennis in Kazakhstan has been growing for years now.
However, the timing of their success could not have been better.
So much work is going on behind the scenes to ensure that such success is not a flash in the pan. Doskarayev clearly wants to create a sporting dynasty with tennis in Kazakhstan, and it’d be unwise to bet against him.
