Elena Rybakina opens up on health setback that changed her Australian Open celebrations before Qatar Open return

Elena Rybakina did not celebrate her Australian Open win the way many people expected. After lifting the trophy in Melbourne in January 2026, the World No. 3 chose rest over big parties.

The reason was simple and very human. She was tired, busy, and unwell. The 26-year-old Kazakh star won the women’s singles title by beating World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in a tough three-set final. The victory gave her second Grand Slam title, after her first major win at Wimbledon in 2022. But instead of late nights and loud celebrations, Rybakina kept things quiet with her team.Rybakina explained her actions after Melbourne during her current stay in Doha for the 2026 Qatar Open.

She described the reason for her small celebration during her WTA 1000 pre-event press conference because her health condition prevented her from having a larger celebration. She has begun her preparations for her next major tournament after finishing her previous competition at the Qatar hard courts.

Elena Rybakina opens up about illness, travel, and starting fresh at the Qatar Open

Speaking at the Qatar Open press conference, Elena Rybakina said the celebrations were small and short. She explained that she and her team spent a little time together at their hotel in Australia, but the schedule quickly caught up with them.

“We celebrate with the team when we went back to the hotel a little bit. Actually, then next day we had to do a lot of things. So I suppose to celebrate we did a little bit at home in Dubai,” Rybakina said.She then shared the main reason things stayed quiet. Rybakina caught a cold soon after the tournament ended. That made it hard for her to do much at all.“But as I said, I got a cold, so I had to really stay at home and not do much. I had to unpack my bags and the time flew like this, so I’m here,” she added.Rybakina is the second seed at the 2026 Qatar Open and received a first-round bye. She will begin her campaign in the second round against China’s Wang Xinyu, who defeated Emiliana Arango in straight sets in the opening round.Doha brings mixed memories for Rybakina. In 2024, she reached the final but lost to Iga Swiatek, who completed her third straight title at the event. This year, with Aryna Sabalenka not in the draw, a final rematch between Rybakina and Swiatek remains possible. For now, Rybakina is healthy again, focused, and ready to compete.