‘It’s A Problem’ – Elena Rybakina’s Drastic Social Media Move Stuns Tennis Community After Queen’s Club Exit

Elena Rybakina has had an unfortunate start to her grass-court season, which appears to have necessitated a drastic social media move. The world No. 2 endured a hectic day at the 2026 Queen’s Club Championships, where an alarming fall preceded an unexpected loss to Katie Boulter.

Why Elena Rybakina Has Drawn Attention After Her Queen’s Club Loss

Following her surprising second-round loss at the French Open, Rybakina would’ve been looking to bounce back strongly during the grass-court swing. After a first-round bye at the WTA 500 event, the top seed locked horns with Tatjana Maria in her opening match on Friday, June 12, since persistent rains washed out matches on Thursday.

The duo engaged in a hard-fought battle, and Rybakina even came within two points of defeat while trailing 5-4 in the second set, but she mounted an incredible comeback to claim a 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-0 victory. Later that same day, the world No. 2 returned to the court for her quarterfinal clash against home hope Katie Boulter, who was also playing her second match of the day.

Boulter pulled off one of the biggest wins of her career, stunning Rybakina 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 to notch her first win over the Kazakh in three meetings. The top seed also sparked concern during the match when she suffered a concerning fall on the grass, mere days after Victoria Mboko’s heartbreaking injury.

In the aftermath of Rybakina’s loss, fans were quick to notice that the 26-year-old had deactivated her Instagram account shortly after she disabled comments on her posts following her second-round exit at Roland Garros.

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Many fans suggested that the decision was taken to avoid the online abuse and harassment players regularly faced from disgruntled bettors.

“The comments on all players in the top 200 or so get insane when they lose a lead. It’s… a problem,” a fan wrote.

“It’s a known issue that female athletes are harrassed for losses by bettors who think they can call them 50 million different names and threaten them. i honestly wonder when any governing tennis body will step in cuz what will it have to take?” another fan chimed in.

Others pointed out that Amanda Anisimova had faced “nasty comments” after her quarterfinal loss to Iva Jovic, while also expressing their support for Rybakina.

“Social media manager doing his or her job 😌 Girl doesn’t need all that negativity,” one fan commented.

“Anisimova got some nasty comments on her latest post, hope she stays strong and come back stronger,” another fan posted.

MORE: ‘Why Am I Not Surprised’ – Elena Rybakina Fires Back at Reporter After Stefano Vukov Abandons French Open Loss

Rybakina’s loss has also dealt a blow to her pursuit of the world No. 1 ranking. After missing a golden opportunity to cut into Sabalenka’s lead at the French Open, the Kazakh will need a strong grass-court swing to keep her hopes alive.

With 500 points up for grabs at the Berlin Tennis Open, Elena Rybakina, currently on 8,143 points, has a chance to bridge the gap to Sabalenka, who sits atop the rankings with 9,090 points. Given that Sabalenka is defending significantly more points from her semifinal runs in Berlin and Wimbledon last year, Rybakina has the chance to make a move in the rankings and attain the world No. 1 spot for the first time in her career.