Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalenka battled it out against each other for supremacy at the finals of the Brisbane International. With the chance to start the year on a high and land the first title of 2024, it was the Kazakh international who made a bold announcement just before the start of the upcoming Australian Open. However, whenever the two stars have met, controversies have erupted.

One of the instances dates back to the Australian Open last year. While Rybakina and Sabalenka battled it out for supremacy in Australia, it was the Kazakh player’s coach who came under the radar of the fans. It was due to his absurd behavior that caught the eyes of many!

When Elena Rybakina’s coach came under fire for the loss of the Kazakh star at the Australian Open 2023 final

Back in 2023, Elena Rybakina lost to Aryna Sabalenka in the Australian Open final. Despite winning the first set comfortably, she bottled the next two sets and lost the match with the scoreline of 4-6 6-3 6-4. This could have won her second grand slam in just a matter of a few months.

However, it was not she who faced the wrath of the fans but her coach, Stefano Vukov who faced criticism. Throughout the tournament, Vukov’s behavior on the court upset many. In the final, he seemed harsh toward Rybakina again, making gestures and saying things that bothered her.

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People didn’t like how Vukov acted. They thought he was too aggressive with Rybakina, especially in such an important match. This raised concerns about whether his coaching style was right for her and if it affected her game. The way Vukov behaved during Rybakina’s defeat caused a lot of controversy and made people question how he supported his player.

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However, despite the immense hate that the coach got, Elena Rybakina came ahead and stood in his defense while claiming that the comments that the fans made were very disrespectful.

Rybakina came in the defence of her coach despite the backlash

In the interview after her loss, she came ahead and talked about her coach while suggesting that the ones who are slamming him do not who of the bond that the two have. She further went ahead to claim that it was very disrespectful to say those words.

“People don’t really know us that well and like to comment or say something that they don’t know. It’s not their business at the end of the day. I think it was kind of disrespectful to him and to me. I just had to do it so everybody knows that whatever they can see or think, they don’t know us. Hopefully, we won’t get any other comments like these,” said Rybakina.

Thus, despite the backlash, Elena Rybakina came ahead and stood in the defence of her coach while slamming the critics who blamed him.

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