The statement did not go unnoticed. Shamil Tarpischev (photo above), the president of the Russian Tennis Federation, greeted with winning words the victory of the Kazakh Elena Rybakina, Saturday July 9, in the ladies' singles final of the British Open at Wimbledon . “ It's amazing ! Well done Rybakina! We won the Wimbledon tournament“, reacted the Russian leader, quoted by the press agency Ria Novosti. Elena Rybakina now wears the colors of Kazakhstan, but she was born in Moscow. Aged 23, she trained in Russia, before taking Kazakh nationality in 2018. As soon as she qualified for the final, Shamil Tarpischev spoke out to recall her origins. “ It's good that Elena is qualified for the Wimbledon final, she is a product of Russian tennis. Of course, it would be even better if she won. We will support her“, he suggested. Elena Rybakina was trained in Russia for a long time by former player Andrey Chesnokov. Clarification: Shamil Tarpischev is one of the two Russian members of the IOC.
