Slovak President Welcomes US Open Champion Elena Rybakina at His Residence

Slovak President Peter Pellegrini received world number one Elena Rybakina at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava, personally congratulating her on her US Open victory. He shared the news on his page on the social network X.

"Did you know that the current world number one has called Slovakia home for the past six years? Although Elena Rybakina represents Kazakhstan, Slovakia has become her second homeland. She spends most of the year training here as she prepares for major matches and tournaments," wrote the president, who greeted the New York champion with flowers.

"That's why it was a great honor for me to welcome her today at the Presidential Palace and personally congratulate her on her success at the US Open," Pellegrini added. In gratitude for the warm reception, the three-time Grand Slam champion presented the president with her tennis racket as a gift.

How Bratislava Became a Launchpad for the Champion

The president's words are more than just diplomatic courtesy — Slovakia has genuinely played a pivotal role in Rybakina's career. It was in Bratislava that she transformed from a promising player into a true star of world tennis. Slovak media also recall that it was in the country's capital where the athlete first publicly declared her ambition to become world number one.

Rybakina moved to Slovakia in 2020. A key figure in her athletic development was renowned coach Vladimir Plateník from the Empire training academy in Trnava. It was he who brought her current coach, Stefan Vuković, to Slovakia — a coach who had previously worked with Tereza Mihalíková before ending their partnership.

Training amid the panel apartment blocks of Bratislava, Rybakina worked her way toward her dream of becoming world number one — and today, already a top-tier star, she still returns to the Petržalka residential district. She came back here even after her second-round exit at this year's Roland Garros, losing to Ukraine's Yuliia Starodubtseva: instead of taking a vacation, the champion headed to the "Jednotka" tennis school on Prokofievova Street, where she trained on grass courts ahead of Wimbledon.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz