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Getting sick forced Elena Rybakina, the third-ranked tennis player in the world, to take a break. But she wouldn’t call it a vacation.

“I wouldn’t say that I had much time off,” Rybakina said Sunday. “Now I had off only because of the virus, but I didn’t get a chance to do anything. I was just in bed.

“Well, the holidays I took, as I said, either because I was sick now or, like, not really. I was actually traveling, playing a lot, practicing, so … Maybe after Wimbledon.”

The 24-year-old who represents Kazakhstan is back in London for her third Wimbledon and first as the defending champion. A surprise winner in 2022 as a top-25 player with a 15-7 all-time mark on grass, Rybakina faces much greater expectations this time.

“Yeah, of course it’s different this year,” she said. “I won’t say that I feel so much pressure. Of course, people are talking around. The important thing is that we keep on working with the team. They’re also trying to help me out, to prepare for the matches.

“Yeah, I think this is something to get used to also. Hopefully my level is going to stay that high and it’s going to be a normal thing to come and defend.”

She begins her title defense Tuesday against American Shelby Rogers, 30, who has beaten her twice in five meetings.

Rybakina said first-round matches are “not easy always” at this event.

“(Rogers is a) tough player,” Rybakina said. “She also serves well. She’s trying to play aggressive, so it’s going to be not an easy one. We know each other pretty well.”

If Rybakina upholds her No. 3 seeding and advances, she could have more stiff competition on her side of the bracket, including from Ons Jabeur, whom she defeated in three sets in the 2022 Wimbledon final for her first Grand Slam victory.

No matter the opponent, Rybakina has to show she is recovered from the respiratory illness that affected her during the French Open, causing her to pull out in the third round.

More recently, she withdrew from the Eastbourne tournament — a grass-court event in the lead-up to Wimbledon — due to the lingering virus.

She said she’s as ready as possible.

“Of course, the preparation we did, I would say it was good, but still not the amount of hours and work we wanted to put in,” Rybakina said. “But overall I think we did maximum what we could. It wasn’t easy after French Open because it took me — I mean, one week I didn’t do anything, then slowly start. It’s been tough.”

Even with the setbacks, she’s having an outstanding year with a 31-8 record in singles, including titles at the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in March and in Rome in May.

She also reached a Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, losing to Aryna Sabalenka in January, and on tour at the finals of the Miami Open to Petra Kvitova in April.

“Yeah, it was of course very different for me this year,” Rybakina said of Wimbledon. “I already played the final of Australian Open, so I kind of took some memories and experience from that, bringing to Australia, now coming here. I know what to expect, how it works, if you actually go that far in the tournament.

“Psychologically I would say that it’s a bit easier than when you don’t know what to expect after such a win.”

–Field Level Media