American tennis coach Rick Macci, who has worked with Serena and Venus Williams, has identified three qualities that allow Kazakh tennis player Elena Rybakina to win Grand Slam titles and helped her rise to world No. 1, according to infohub.kz.
The first strength, Macci says, is the quality of her groundstrokes. He particularly highlighted the Kazakh player's forehand and backhand, noting that her relatively simple grips allow her to generate power without unnecessary movement.
"Rybakina meets the three most important criteria on the WTA Tour, which are enough to win Grand Slams and become world No. 1. First, she strikes the ball with elite, clean contact. Her main weapons are her forehand and backhand, and her uncomplicated grips make it easy to create power," Macci wrote on X.
The second factor the American cited was Rybakina's serve. In his assessment, her motion is technically almost perfect from a biomechanical standpoint.
"Her serve is biomechanically almost perfect — starting with her footwork. The racket constantly passes close to her right shoulder blade during the takeback, resulting in a simple, repeatable and optimal throwing motion," the coach noted.
The third strength Macci pointed to is the Kazakh player's mentality. He highlighted her calmness and her ability to maintain the necessary intensity during matches.
"Her mindset is cool, calm and collected, yet she remains charged. Most of the time she is in an ideal state for maximum effectiveness," the specialist added.
According to Macci, the combination of these qualities has already become a kind of "success formula" for Rybakina, and her status as world No. 1 only strengthens her confidence.
Rick Macci is an American tennis coach and a member of the USPTA Hall of Fame. At various stages of his career, he worked with Serena and Venus Williams, Andy Roddick, Jennifer Capriati and Maria Sharapova — all five later became world No. 1. Macci has also received numerous USPTA awards for his coaching work.
Recall that in the 2026 US Open final, Rybakina defeated Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. The title was the 27-year-old athlete's first at the US Open and her third at a Grand Slam tournament after Wimbledon 2022 and the 2026 Australian Open.