Elena Rybakina’s outfit for the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, designed by her apparel sponsor Yonex, has disappointed tennis fans. Fans lashed out at the Japanese brand for their perceived unflattering design choices for the World No. 4.
On the hunt for her second Wimbledon title, Rybakina kicked off her campaign with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 win over qualifier Elena-Gabriela Ruse in an hour and 11 minutes. With her triumph, the World No. 4 extended her winning record in main-draw matches at SW19 to 15-2.Amid the praise for her stellar performance, fans also aired their grievances with Elena Rybakina’s outfit. In accordance with the All England Club’s strict all-white dress code, the 25-year-old donned a loose-fitting white V-neck top, paired with a pleated skirt.
However, the outfit failed to impress fans, many of whom criticized Yonex for not providing the World No. 4 with a “flattering” kit.
“Yonex make elena rybakina a nice, flattering kit challenge IMPOSSIBLE!” a fan posted.
“Someone needs to save rybakina from yonex i’m sorry they always do her dirty, her rg one was decent but this one is BAD,” another fan chimed in.
“It’s horrible 😞, what were Yonex thinking,” said another.
One fan even urged Yonex to draw inspiration from Wilson’s stunning design for Marta Kostyuk, which was hailed as the best kit of the tournament by fans.
“Too loose no style, she’s a young fit girl, look at what Wilson is doing for Marta and copy that,” the fan wrote.
Others, meanwhile, lamented about the 2022 Wimbledon champion not receiving a custom kit and having no interesting design elements in her outfit.
“Yonex, you’re sponsoring the former #Wimbledon CHAMPION. At least make her a custom kit, this outfit is not it,” one fan posted.
“The colour is non-negotiable. So the only interest in Wimbledon kits lies in the use of textures, or design. Yonex did neither of those for Rybakina with this,” another fan commented.
“I would have worn this on my high school tennis team in 1985,” said yet another.
Elena Rybakina to take on Laura Siegemund in Wimbledon 2R
Following her win over Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Elena Rybakina will continue her quest for her second Grand Slam title against Laura Siegemund in the second round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships.
The Kazakh enjoys a dominant 4-1 lead in her head-to-head record against Siegemund, including a 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(8) victory in their most recent clash at the 2022 Slovenia Open.If Rybakina claims her fifth win over the German, she will set up a blockbuster third-round clash against the winner of the match between Caroline Wozniacki and Leylah Fernandez.