- - All About Tennis Star Elena Rybakina's Parents, Andrey and Ekaterina

Emily BlackwoodJanuary 31, 2026 at 4:00 AM

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Elena Rybakina in 2026 ; Andrey Rybakina, Ekaterina Rybakina and Anna Rybakina in 2023.

Lintao Zhang/Getty; Andy Cheung/Getty

Andrey Rybakin and Ekaterina Rybakina share two daughters: Elena and Anna

Elena's father introduced her to tennis as a child after determining she was too tall for gymnastics

Though the couple's children were born in Russia, they supported the tennis pro's choice to represent Kazakhstan in 2018

No matter how many tennis trophies Elena Rybakina brings home, every match remains a high-stress watch for her parents, Andrey Rybakin and Ekaterina Rybakina.

"I think every match I play they're nervous, no matter if it's live or they're watching on TV," she told reporters in January 2023, per ABC Australia. "I think you can never get used to this."

That emotional stake has been there from the very beginning, when Andrey introduced his then 6-year-old daughter to the sport, per Tennis.com. Though the couple raised Elena and her sister, Anna, in Russia, the future Wimbledon champion's career took off when she changed her citizenship to represent Kazakhstan in 2018.

The decision paid off, as she went on to win 11 WTA singles titles, including the 2022 Wimbledon Championships and the 2025 WTA Finals — often with Andrey and Ekaterina cheering her on from the sidelines.

Here's everything to know about Elena Rybakina's parents, Andrey and Ekaterina.

Andrey and Ekaterina share two children

Andrey Rybakina, Ekaterina Rybakina and Anna Rybakina in 2023.

Andy Cheung/Getty

Elena's parents are from Moscow, where they still reside as of 2023, per ABC Australia. There, they welcomed two daughters: Anna, who is three years older than Elena, who was born on June 17, 1999.

The Rybakina sisters are close, with the tennis pro commenting on the "positive" impact her sister's presence had while on tour in May 2023.

"I think she's actually helping a lot, because [tennis], it's still a job," Elena told reporters, per Tennis.com. "She's very positive. Also a lot of energy from her. So it's just nice that we are able to spend time together. And, yeah, I think she's also helping, especially if you have a bad day or something, she's the one always positive."

Andrey introduced Elena to tennis

Anna and Elena Rybakina.

Elena Rybakina/Instagram

Though she's become one of the top professional tennis players in the world, Elena wasn't interested in the sport as a kid. The athlete told the Daily Mail in June 2023 that while she was a talented gymnast at 5-years-old, she was told by her coaches that she had already grown "too tall" to compete.

That's when Andrey — who Elena said was motivated by a need to keep his two daughters "busy" — got the idea to try her out in tennis.

"My dad liked tennis, and had played a bit when he was in his early 20s," the Wimbledon champion said. "He thought it would be fun but when we went my sister said straight away that she didn’t like it. I liked it from the start, even though it was tough going there without my sister."

They supported her decision to represent Kazakhstan

Elena Rybakina in 2026.

Bradley Kanaris/Getty

Though Elena wanted to go pro after school, she briefly considered playing in college. Andrey, worried about the financial impact and wanting his daughter to get a good education, encouraged her to accept one of the many university offers she had gotten.

And she almost did — until the Kazakh Federation offered to support her career if she represented them, she told WTA Insider in 2020, per Tennis.com.

Elena switched her citizenship to Kazakhstan in 2018, a decision for which her parents have continued to voice their support. When Elena was called a "product of Russian schooling" following her Wimbledon win, Andrey was quick to respond.

“I think that people that something depended upon and who could have helped, are now a little sorry,” he told Sports Express Russia in August 2022, explaining that the Russian Tennis Federation refused to provide adequate financial aid for Elena.

He continued, "At some point, the federation sent me a contract for Lena. But I looked at it and got sad. The essence of the contract is expressed in the famous catchphrase: ‘There is no money, but you hold on.' ... Honestly, I would be ashamed to send such a contract.”

Elena said she looks up to her mom

Anna, Elena and Ekaterina Rybakina.

Elena Rybakina/Instagram

When reflecting on her career thus far in November 2023, the tennis pro said she has her parents to thank — especially her mom.

"My parents, they [made] really good decisions and helped me a lot," Elena said in a Facebook clip shared by the official page for the Billie Jean King Cup. "My mom is someone who I look up to, and sometimes there are tough moments and tough decisions, but my parents and her especially, she is the one who helped me a lot."

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Source: “AOL Sports”