Ep 56: Elena Rybakina

I am screaming with excitement! Prepare to welcome the 2022 Wimbledon Women's Champion, Elena Rybakina! For this exclusive interview I caught up with Elena the day after her Wimbledon win, where she beat world number two Ons Jabeur, coming back from a set down to make history as the first ever player from Kazakhstan to win a grand slam tournament.At 23 years old she also became the youngest winner of the title since Petra Kvitova in 2011 and as the 23rd seed, Elena is the second-lowest ranked female player in the Open Era to win Wimbledon. She is the definition of a game changer who never, ever gives up, and there couldn’t be a better guest to join us for this series of special episodes that celebrate incredible female athletes! Elena chats to me from just outside the Wimbledon grounds (you can even hear the Centre Court crowds cheering for the men's final!!!) telling me about her journey to the top of women’s sport; from following her sister to tennis camp to the tough times that made her a champion, to lifting the Wimbledon trophy. This is an amazing look at the real person behind the athlete. Elena tells me about the nerves she had before and during the final, how she managed to dig deep and find a positive mindset to win and what it means to become a history maker and a role model overnight. Elena also talks about her goals for the rest of the season and adjusting to new-found attention following her win. She is the new queen of tennis and I hope you are as inspired by Elena’s mindset as I am. I also hope you keep on listening and finding the power to Reign in your own lives. If you love this episode, please get in touch (follow me across social media @joshsmithhosts), I love hearing from you. Love, Josh xxxP.S. I am so proud that this episode of Reign with Josh Smith - which celebrates our inspirational female sporting stars - is brought to you thanks to my friends at Pandora, who are the Official National Jewellery Sponsor of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022.This summer of sport is all about encouraging women and girls everywhere to feel empowered and motivated to be the person they want to be. Just like these inspirational female athletes you’re hearing from in these episodes, YOU can achieve anything - whether it’s in sport, your career or any of your life goals. Get out there, be fearless and write your own story. And with Pandora, there’s always a piece of jewellery you can create or customise to help tell that story. Just head to pandora.net or your nearest store, now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices