After a rocky year filled with form dips and a cloud of controversy, Elena Rybakina is finally starting to look like herself again. She grabbed her first title in over a year just before the French Open, lifting the trophy in Strasbourg. Then, at the French Open, she made a solid run to the fourth round and even gave eventual champion Iga Świątek a real scare. The match stretched to three sets, with Rybakina pushing the four-time Roland Garros winner to the edge. It wasn’t the result she wanted, but the level was definitely back. And now she has but one wish for her birthday as grass season gains ground!

Elena Rybakina has already made a start to her lawn campaign at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, entering as the fourth seed. After beating home hope Heather Watson in the second round, she fell in the quarterfinals to Tatjana Maria, who went on to win the title. Up next is Berlin. The Kazakh will kick off her run at the Berlin Open against Qinwen Zheng on Tuesday. The match falls on her birthday. Born on June 17, the former Wimbledon champ will turn 26, but there are no party hats in sight.

Talking to Chinese reporters ahead of her opener, she said, “I don’t think that I will do much because I am going to play that day. So probably just a dinner with my team and friends.” And what’s her birthday wish? The former Wimbledon champion said, “To win another Grand Slam.”

In 2022, she shocked the field at Wimbledon and walked away with her first Grand Slam trophy. That run included a stunning win over then-third seed Ons Jabeur in the final, where she rallied back 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. She only dropped two sets in the entire tournament — one to Alja Tomljanovic in the quarters and another to Jabeur in the title match. The most impressive part? She took out Simona Halep in the semis in straight sets. Halep, who had been on a 21-set winning streak at Wimbledon, was seen as a major favorite. But Rybakina didn’t blink.

Since then, she’s remained a threat at her favorite Slam. In 2023, she reached the quarterfinals but lost in a rematch to Jabeur. And in 2024, the former World No.3 went even further, making the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Barbora Krejčíková.

Heading into 2025, Elena Rybakina tried to strengthen her team by adding Goran Ivanisevic as her coach. The 2001 Wimbledon champion was supposed to help her go deep again. But just before the Australian Open, everything changed as her ex-coach returned.

Elena Rybakina maintains ties with suspended coach

The reason? Stefano Vukov. The WTA had provisionally suspended Vukov last fall and opened an investigation into his behavior. Reports from The Athletic in January highlighted the tension between the two, and just before the US Open, Elena Rybakina fired him.

However, the story didn’t end there. The investigation concluded four months later, and in February, the WTA handed Vukov a one-year ban. According to the WTA chief executive, the ban was issued for “abuse of authority and abusive conduct” toward Rybakina. Despite the serious charges, Rybakina stood by Vukov. She even asked the tour to allow him to continue coaching her during the investigation. Not only did they resume their working relationship, but they also began allegedly dating.

During Vukov’s suspension, Goran Ivanisevic coached Rybakina through the early part of the season. But before the Australian Open, she posted online that Vukov would be back with her team. That move led to the former coach of Novak Djokovic stepping down from his role. He is now coaching Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Since then, Elena Rybakina has also been working with Davide Sanguinetti. In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport in February, Sanguinetti said, “Vukov and Elena are close, he will always be there.”

In Strasbourg, where she ended her title drought, Rybakina gave Vukov a shoutout during her speech. And at the French Open, she clarified in a press conference that “we practice together between the tournaments, not when the tournament is on,” staying in line with the conditions of his ban. Vukov, meanwhile, isn’t backing off. He has hinted to associates that he wants to represent Rybakina commercially. He has also appealed the one-year ban in June.

Despite the controversy, Elena Rybakina is gunning for another strong season on grass. She’s done it once before. Can she do it again in 2025?