The tennis world never fails to deliver its share of jaw-dropping surprises—whether it’s shocking upsets or unexpected team-ups. And as we kick off the new year, the excitement is already heating up. This time, all eyes are on Kazakh tennis star Elena Rybakina, who’s just dropped a bombshell that’s turning heads. Rybakina, known for her powerhouse game and calm demeanor, has made a sensational update about her team, and let’s just say—it’s something no one saw coming! 

The Kazhak tennis sensation took to her Instagram account and shared that she is partnering back with Stefano Vukov. This comes as a surprising move given the unexpected split the duo witnessed and the controversies that emerged surrounding their split. But now, it seems that the duo have reached an understanding as Rybakina announced that she will once again partner with Vukov. 

Sharing a story on her handle, Rybakina wrote, “Hello everyone, I am excited to announce that Stefano will be joining the team for the 2025 season. Thank you all for the support And wishing you a great 2025.” Remember, Rybakina and Vukov parted ways right before the US Open after being together for 5-long years. Together, they had achieved remarkable milestones which also included her maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2022 and a career-high ranking of No. 3 in June 2023. However, soon after their split, a major bombshell was dropped by Russian journalist, Sofya Tartakova during an interview.

Tartakova claimed that Rybakina faced distressing situations while working under Vukov and that her absence and poor health were a result of this stressful atmosphere. This was also followed by rumors of Vukov being barred from the WTA coaches list. However, these allegations soon started to die down after Rybakina made her stance clear over the rumors. 

During an interaction ahead of the WTA Finals, the Kazhak star shared, “I know that a lot of I guess rumors going on. But honestly we just part ways with Stefano. I think we had incredible results over five years. We achieved a lot. I started with him when I was 200. I think it’s just now next chapter of my career. I want to make the next step.” She also joined forces with Novak Djokovic’s former coach Goran Ivanisevic and was practicing under his tutelage. 

Interestingly, this latest announcement comes just a day after rumors of their partnership emerged. Tartakova revealed that Vukov is set to travel to Melbourne on January 4 to support Rybakina at the 2025 Australian Open, even though they are no longer officially working together. This had raised speculations and now, the latest announcement has surprised many in the community. While only time will tell the outcome of this move, Elena Rybakina has continued to garner some remarkable praise for her skills. These skills are also expected to make a boost as part of her partnership with Ivanisevic, and making a similar prediction is none other than Novak Djokovic. 

Novak Djokovic makes big prediction about Elena Rybakina and Goran Ivanisevic

Novak Djokovic and Goran Ivanisevic parted ways in March 2024 after remaining together for five long years. But the veteran coach gained the spotlight soon after he joined forces with Elena Rybakina. His impact was quite visible after the Kazhak star put up some sensational performance at the ongoing United Cup under Ivanisevic’s guidance. And now, making a significant prediction about them is Djokovic. 

When asked about his take on Ivanisevic joining hands with Rybakina, the Serbian Maestro said, “Well, I was actually happy, because we talked about — you know, we actually like Rybakina, the way she plays and how she is as a person. When Goran used to work with me, we always liked to watch her play.” Continuing further, he highlighted that he can already see them win several accolades together. 

“I texted Goran the other day. He hasn’t worked, I don’t think he’s ever worked on WTA Tour. Maybe he didn’t work for long time, but, you know, he was mostly on the ATP Tour. So I asked him how it feels and everything, and it’s a bit different for him, but he’s pumped to help her out, and hopefully we can see them lifting some big trophies together,” Djokovic added. 

For now, it would be interesting to see how the tennis fraternity would react to Rybakina’s decision to bring back Stefano Vukov to her team and what implications it will have on her career.