London — Russian tennis chief Shamil Tarpischev hailed Elena Rybakina's Wimbledon victory as a triumph for Russia on Saturday, describing the player as "our product".
Moscow-born Rybakina, who defeated Ons Jabeur in the final, switched allegiance to Kazakhstan in 2018.
As a result, she avoided the ban imposed by Wimbledon on Russian players this year in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine.
"It's very nice! Well done Rybakina! We win the Wimbledon tournament," Tarpischev was quoted as saying by Russian news agency, Ria Novosti.
When 23-year-old Rybakina booked her place in the final after beating former champion Simona Halep, Tarpischev had been equally bullish.
"It's nice that Elena will play in the Wimbledon final, she is our product. Of course, it's nice that she wins. We will cheer for her in the final," said Tarpischev, the president of the Russian Tennis Federation.
Rybakina said she left the Russian tennis set-up after Kazakhstan pledged better financial and training support.
She is just one of a number of players to have switched to Kazakhstan in recent years.
AFP