WTA number five, Elena Rybakina, isn’t someone to follow the crowd. While the fraternity moved on, this Kazakhstani player stood firm on her ground. Her former coach faced a storm, drawing scrutiny from everywhere. Whispers transformed into headlines and WTA spoke about it, but Rybakina’s response? Unfazed. Despite building a new team, Rybakina continued her support for the man who shaped her journey to the top-five ranking. Controversy or loyalty- where will her choice lead her to?

Rybakina parted ways with her longtime coach Stefano Vukov ahead of the 2024 US Open. Their partnership received severe criticism from the fraternity due to the Croatian coach’s unconventional and harsh mentorship methods. Remember the feud between Rybakina and Vukov during the former’s quarterfinal match in the Miami Open last year? Vukov’s behavior drew many backlashes, resulting in rumors after his split from Rybakina’s team. She then brought Novak Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic as her coach. Despite Invanisevic’s presence, this Kazakhstan-born Russian player announced Vukov’s return in January. “I am excited to announce that Stefano will be joining the team for the 2025 season,” Rybakina wrote on her IG platform. However, during Vukov’s return, the Croatian coach faced a strong judgment from the WTA, a provisional suspension for breaching their code of conduct. “Elena Rybakina’s former coach, Stefano Vukov, is currently suspended by the WTA. A spokesperson for the WTA confirmed this: ‘The WTA can confirm that Stefano Vukov is currently under a provisional suspension pending an independent investigation into a potential breach of the WTA Code of Conduct,'” tweeted Tennis Letter in January.

Vukov’s suspension brought another round of controversy for Rybakina. However, the WTA star remained quite supportive of her former coach. “He’s an important person in my career. We started when I was like 200 (in the world). So it’s a lot of things, on the court, outside of the court, he’s helping out with,” said Rybakina who will play her next match in the Abu Dhabi Open, the day after tomorrow. Ahead of this tournament, this WTA star brought Davide Sanguinetti, a former Italian player, to her coaching team. She separated from Ivanisevic, possibly after exiting the Melbourne Slam in the fourth round. Although Rybakina now works under another coach’s mentorship, her support for her former coach remains the same. “I feel like of course it’s not ideal that he cannot be on the practice courts but at the same time we are finding a way also with help of Davide, his opinion,” she said.

Rybakina’s statement highlighted Vukov’s importance in her professional life. Despite the suspension, the Tennis Letter confirmed the Croatian coach’s willingness to cheer for his former student in Melbourne. They wrote how Vukov planned to be in Australia, even if he was barred from obtaining WTA credentials for the tournament. On the flip side, Rybakina never badmouthed her Croatian ex-coach. During the WTA Finals in Riyadh last season, she confessed that her separation from Vukov was based on mutual understanding and no hard feelings. It showed the interesting equation between this coach and his former pupil shedding light on their dedication and commitment toward each other. Despite that, Rybakina’s support for Vukov wasn’t welcomed by all in the fraternity.

People might find Elena Rybakina’s support for Vukov surprising, but the Kazakh player’s emotions are understandable. Vukov joined her team in 2019, and together, they clinched the Russian player’s maiden Grand Slam title at the 2022 Wimbledon. They won eight WTA titles, including the 2023 Indian Wells, 2023 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, 2024 Brisbane International, Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open, and Porsche Tennis Grand Prix. This illustrious success in their partnership highlights why Rybakina feels contained with Vukov’s presence in her mentorship. “I hope it’s going to work out. We have a good team in the end of the day,” she said.

Despite Rybakina’s constant support for Vukov, the fraternity isn’t convinced about the Croatian coach’s explanation: “definitely never abused anyone.” Ex-pro Coco Vandeweghe offered her interesting output in this discussion and her statement will leave you surprised!

Coco Vandeweghe called Elena Rybakina’s former coach’s case “problematic”

In a discussion with the Tennis Channel podcast on 4th January, Vandeweghe took a sly dig at Vukov’s suspension and didn’t spare the Croatian coach of her criticisms. “I’m sorry, but where there’s smoke, there’s probably fire,” started the former WTA star. She added, “ think that this is problematic, to say the least. I think as much as I want to trust Elena Rybakina’s opinion and choices, I’ve seen some other images. I think that we all have in matches that Vukov is not the kindest. He’s not the kindest to Elena Rybakina. And sometimes other people need to protect you if you can’t protect yourself,” she said.

Her words clearly indicated her disapproval of Vukov’s behavior with the Kazakh player on some occasions. For example, during Rybakina’s 2023 Australian Open semifinals against Victoria Azarenka, Vukov yelled at his pupil from the box, attracting much controversy. At that time, Rybakina supported Vukov, refuting any claims of misbehavior. Although Rybakina supported her former coach, the incident displeased veterans like Pam Shriver.

Despite criticism, Rybakina’s support for Stefano Vukov showed a strong bond between a former coach and his pupil. Although the partnership ended, their respect and support for each other remained the same, highlighting how relationships are survived by people’s commitment, even if it’s professional.