Elena Rybakina became a two-time Grand Slam champion with her Australian Open triumph.
Nearly four years since clinching the 2022 Wimbledon title, Rybakina went all the way at Melbourne Park, in what was an incredible campaign.
The Kazakh star beat Iga Swiatek and Jessica Pegula en route to the final, where she overcame world number one Aryna Sabalenka.
Now, ahead of her run at the Qatar Open, Rybakina revealed how she celebrated winning the Australian Open.
Elena Rybakina reflects on her Australian Open triumph
Speaking in her pre-tournament press conference in Doha, Rybakina said: “We celebrated with the team when we went back to the hotel a little bit.
“Actually, the next day we had to do a lot of things. So I suppose to celebrate, we did a little bit at home in Dubai.
“But as I said, I got a cold, so I had to really stay at home and not do much. I had to unpack my bags, and the time flew like this, so I’m here (laughing).”
Rybakina is seeded second at the Qatar Open, and will face Wang Xinyu in her first match.
Elena Rybakina previews her run at the 2026 Qatar Open
Rybakina has had just over a week since the Australian Open final to prepare for the Qatar Open.
She said: “It was a long tournament in Australia, a lot of matches, and of course, a lot of emotions after. But I think we get used to this kind of schedule.
“We are from one tournament to go to play almost straight away another one, so of course, it’s a bit tricky.
“On the way home I had a cold, so I had to really rest a couple days and didn’t do much. But now I think, as I said, it’s a good momentum to try to keep going.
“Hopefully this week is going to be as good in Australia, but if not we have so many tournaments ahead, and there are big ones, so we’ll try to work on things, and, yeah, get good results.”
Amanda Anisimova is the defending champion at the Qatar Open, with the American seeded third at the tournament.
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