Ningbo Open’s defending champion and new WTA World No. 1 Elena Rybakina returns to tennis after spending time at home recuperating her injured foot.
She came back to the WTA Tour with a surprising new addition to the team, following in the footsteps of one of her chief rivals, Aryna Sabalenka.
Rybakina is now a dog owner to an adorable little puppy named Toby.
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Rybakina was beaming as she talked about her puppy
Rybakina tends to be reserved, but pure joy emanated from her as she talked about meeting and falling in love with Toby.
She described the decision as a bit impulsive because she loved the dog so much.
Rybakina hopes to take Toby on the tour with her as much as possible.
For these players who travel the world nonstop for 11 months out of the year, having a pet must provide some stability and comfort.
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Alexander Zverev, Anna Kalinskaya also have dogs
This is a relatively new phenomenon in professional tennis. Players traveling with their dogs. 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu was among the first to have her dog Coco tag along for emotional support.
Because the players have teams of people traveling with them, they have helping hands to care for the dog when they are busy practicing or playing matches.
It is a win-win for the players because no matter how brutal tennis can be, there is always a four-legged friend waiting to shower them with love.
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