Why Elena Rybakina Deleted Her Instagram Account

After a night of abusive comments, the WTA No. 2 had heard enough, and slammed the door to the outside world.

BERLIN, Germany — It’s an important time for Elena Rybakina, who could closing be in on capturing the No. 1 ranking after a resurgent start to the season.

Second-ranked Rybakina is now only 853 points behind top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the WTA’s live rankings as the tour moves through the grass stretch where she’s often made hay.

Rybakina downplayed a question about the chase as she spoke to media at WTA 500 Berlin on Monday.

“You need to focus on yourself,” Rybakina said. “And then whatever happens, we will see.”

But amid her reticence, Rybakina’s scheduling choices are speaking clearly on her behalf. The 2022 Wimbledon champion has scheduled maximally for the short grass court season, signing up for all three WTA 500-level events held between the French Open and Wimbledon: Queen’s Club, Berlin, and Bad Homburg.

After escaping from the brink of an upset to beat defending champion Tatjana Maria in the second round of Queen’s Club last Friday, Rybakina had to go back on court later that same day to face British wild card Katie Boulter. When her second three-setter of the day ended in defeat, Rybakina decided she’d had enough—of hearing about it from haters, that is.

Players are often barraged with vitriol after losses from angry gamblers. For a highly-ranked woman who loses a match she’s heavily favored to win, the nastiness can be exponentially higher.

Within hours of the loss, Rybakina had deleted her Instagram account with over 900,000 followers, leaving it offline and deactivated until the next day.

Screenshot of Rybakina’s deactivated Instagram profile. (via @sebsharfam2 on Twitter)

On Monday in Berlin, I asked Rybakina why she’d done that; the oft-reserved player had a lot to say on the topic.

“I usually don’t pay attention so much, but at that point it was *really* a lot.” —Elena Rybakina

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