Elena Rybakina has become the latest player to speak out about the online abuse athletes deal with, joining the likes of Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, and Coco Gauff in highlighting the damaging effects of the issue. Having taken a significant step to shield herself from such negativity after her loss at the Queen’s Club Championships, Rybakina explained the rationale behind her decision.
Why Elena Rybakina Disabled Her Instagram Account After Queen’s Club Exit
Rybakina commenced her Queen’s Club campaign by fighting back from the brink of defeat to secure a gritty 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-0 win over Tatjana Maria. However, the world No. 2 was unable to produce a similar comeback against Katie Boulter in their quarterfinal clash, as the Brit pulled off a 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 upset.
Shortly after the defeat, fans noticed that Rybakina appeared to have deactivated her Instagram account, prompting speculation that the move was intended to prevent disgruntled bettors from sending her abuse online. Those suspicions were confirmed when the Kazakh addressed the decision while speaking to the press at the Berlin Tennis Open.
Rybakina, who has since reactivated her Instagram account while keeping the comments disabled, said it had become “impossible” to curb the negativity without completely cutting off avenues for abusive messages from bettors.
“It’s impossible to control it any other way, and of course it’s not the nicest thing. I usually don’t pay much attention, but at that point it felt important. A lot of it is connected to the job, and I felt that if these people can’t stop in the moment because they lost some money, I’d rather give the option to comment nothing and then bring the account back,” Rybakina said.
The 26-year-old also welcomed the change to step back from social media, saying, “I’m not there to spend all day cleaning my Instagram. I have a little help with the content, but it’s not full-time. So I thought it’s better even for me to spend less time on social media.”
Rybakina further emphasized her intention to “just limit all the limits” on social media, noting that if she were not a public figure, she would have a very minimal online presence.
“Sometimes you don’t even notice, and it becomes too much of your time. For me it’s ok not to be on social media, and if I weren’t a public figure, I don’t think I’d post much or do a lot on it,” she added.
On the tennis front, Elena Rybakina has entered the Berlin Tennis Open as the No. 2 seed, receiving a first-round bye. She will face either Alexandra Eala or Donna Vekić in her opening match at the WTA 500 event.
