PICTURES: Elena Rybakina's father Andrey makes rare appearance with her sister Anna as duo enjoy rugby outing in Kazakh's absence

Tennis star Elena Rybakina’s family usually stays out of the public eye, but this weekend, her sister Anna offered a rare glimpse with her father, Andrey, at a sporting event.

On Monday, Anna shared three photos on her Instagram story. The first one was a picture with her father from the stands of the stadium where the Russian Premier League's rugby match was hosted. Both were all smiles in the picture, as Anna captioned:

"Day with Dad ❤️."

The second image was the highlight of the game, where a team, which was wearing green jerseys, lifted their coach in the air in celebration after winning the match.

Finally, in the last story, she shared that Andrey explained to her the rules of the game, given Anna had little knowledge about the sport:

"POV: dad explains what's going on here," she wrote.

From the above images, it's clear that Andrey and his daughter had a great time together. Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina, the Russian-born Kazakhstani professional tennis player, was a major miss. It could be because she just competed at the 2025 US Open, where she exited in the Round of 16 against Markéta Vondroušová.

Elena Rybakina's father Andrey last attended the 2023 Australian Open final

The last time Elena Rybakina's parents, Andrey and Ekaterina, attended her tennis match together was at the 2023 Australian Open final. There, the Russian born tennis star was defeated by Aryna Sabalenka, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. However, she was happy to note that it was the first time her entire family was together in enjoying her tennis match.

"It’s the first time they’re all together here," she said. "I’m super happy that we can spend evenings together and they can watch me live.

"It's great for them… I'm sure they're happy. They don't see me often playing live, so I think this time it's a big result already. No matter how I play in the final, I think they're very proud and happy," she said at the time.

In her press conference, Rybakina further highlighted that her parents get nervous while watching her play live. But she knows that her parents have all the confidence in the world behind her.

"I think every match I play they're nervous, no matter if it's live or they're watching on TV. I think you can never get used to this," she added.

"I know that from the beginning, they believed in me no matter if I will lose first round or anything as a junior because they saw also potential, how I loved the game. I think they're just proud now."

Elena Rybakina wanted her family to attend the 2022 Wimbledon Championship, where the tennis star defeated Ons Jabeur, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2, to win her first singles tennis title. They reportedly couldn't be present because of travel restrictions.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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Edited by Pratham K Sharma