Elena Rybakina won the U.S. Open women’s singles tournament last week, defeating reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka in the final face-off. Now, the 27-year-old is ranked the number one female player in the world. But just 10 years ago, the Moscow-born Gen Zer was at a crossroads: go to college, or stay focused on her career as a tennis player. Even defying her father’s wishes for her to stay in education.
“I finished school and I had to decide if I should go to college,” the U.S. Open champion told the Women’s Tennis Association in 2020.
“My dad wanted me to go to college because he was worried. He saw the results, but it was difficult for us financially. It’s not easy. Like every parent, he was worried if I got injured.” Plus, her father reasoned that she could get a “better education” abroad.
“I had offers to universities in America, but I didn’t even think about it because I wanted to keep playing. I had like 15 offers. My dad really wanted me to go.”
Ultimately, Rybakina chose the uncertainty of professional tennis over the security of a college education—and that decision set her on a path that would eventually make her a three-time Grand Slam champion, scoring 14 singles titles across 10 countries. “Because of tennis, I could get a better education,” she added.
Changing her citizenship and becoming a world champion, earning $11.4 million
Once Rybakina had made the decision to skip college and continue her tennis career, she made another pivotal choice that would shape her professional journey. The athlete had been playing for Russia up until that point, but in 2018 she switched federations to Kazakhstan—and even changed her citizenship. The Central Asian country offered the then-19-year-old funding and support to grow her career.
Rybakina has made major strides in her decade-long career as a tennis pro. For years, she worked her way up through the ITF Circuit and WTA qualifying. In 2019, she ended the year ranked No. 36 for her first Top 100 finish and winning her maiden WTA title at Bucharest.
Just one year into training with a private coach, she began turning that steady progress into a breakthrough run on the WTA Tour; she broke through in 2020, playing in five tour finals, more than any other player that year. Rybakina later snagged her first major title at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, and in 2023, reached the 2023 Australian Open final.
From there, Rybakina’s career—and her earning power—continued to accelerate.
Rybakina capped off last year by winning the 2025 WTA Finals undefeated, earning $5.235 million for her victory—which was the largest prize-money payout in the history of women’s sport at the time. By now she had several titles under her belt as well as a slew of brand sponsorships, including the likes of Nike, Adidas, and Red Bull.
And 2026 has been Rybakina’s best year yet.
Earlier this year, she clinched her major title, winning the Australian Open. And just one week ago, following her in the U.S. Open Grand Slam victory, the Gen Zer took over Sabalenka’s No. 1 ranking, which the Belarusian held on to for nearly two full years.
Today, Rybakina is the 10th highest-paid tennis star in the world, according to Forbes, earning $11.4 million on the court and $6 million off-court. And by winning the U.S. Open women’s singles, Rybakina brought home another $5.5 million in prize money.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect [anything] like this coming from this tournament,” Rybakina said after her recent New York City tournament win. “I’ve been dealing a little bit with injury, but somehow everything aligned on my side…I was coming here for the last 10 years, and it was never successful. Nothing close to that, and it’s just incredible.”
Later this year, the 27-year-old is also slated to compete in the WTA Finals to reclaim her championship title. After a season that has already delivered two Grand Slam titles, a record-setting payday, and the world No. 1 ranking, Rybakina is on a tear in the tennis world.
If she didn’t forgo the chance to go to college in the U.S., it’s uncertain if she would have lived the same whirlwind success.
The post Millionaire Gen Z tennis star Elena Rybakina turned down 15 colleges to keep playing tennis—against her dad’s wishes. Now she’s no. 1 in the world appeared first on Fortune.
