Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Elena Rybakina after her victory at the US Open-2026 and her rise to the top of the WTA world ranking. The head of state said the tennis player's successes attract Kazakh children to sports sections. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
Tokayev congratulated Rybakina on her victory at the US Open and called her achievement historic for Kazakh sports. The US Open became the athlete's third Grand Slam title in her career.
"After your victories, our children show interest in tennis, enroll in sections in large numbers, and want to become champions too. You set a positive example for our children, and that is very good. Our children must be introduced to sports; this is extremely important for their future. Three victories at Grand Slam tournaments will forever remain in the annals of tennis. I believe you will not stop there and will continue your victorious march," the head of state said.
The president also separately commented on Rybakina's behavior on and off the court.
"You behave well on the court and when communicating with people. I always note your extremely high personal culture. This is also very important, including from the point of view of presenting Kazakhstan as a developed and civilized state where sports, and tennis in particular, are supported," Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized.
Rybakina thanked the president for his personal support and attention to the development of tennis in Kazakhstan. She said she is proud of the opportunity to represent the country on the international stage and intends to continue achieving high results.
In turn, the president awarded Elena Rybakina the Order of Barys, III degree, for outstanding sporting merits and a great contribution to the development and popularization of tennis in Kazakhstan.
Recall that Elena Rybakina won the US Open for the first time in her career on September 13. In the final, she defeated Arina Sabalenka with a score of 6:4, 5:7, 6:2. After the tournament, the Kazakhstani player officially rose to the first place in the WTA ranking.