Elena Rybakina Hits Out At Pam Shriver's Comments About Her Controversial Coach Vukov
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Elena Rybakina has criticized tennis legend Pam Shriver for not speaking to her first before commenting about her relationship with the controversial Stefano Vukov.
Rybakina was coached by Vukov for almost five years. The pair's most notable success was the Kazakhstani's run to the 2022 Wimbledon title. That included a victory from a set down in the final against Ons Jabeur.
Their partnership continued until a few days before the US Open when Rybakina unexpectedly announced that she and Vukov had stopped working together. No official reason was given for the decision.
Rybakina subsequently withdrew a few hours before her second-round match at Flushing Meadows and did not compete again on the WTA Tour for over two months. She claimed this was due to illness.
The 25-year-old replaced Vukov with Goran Ivanisevic, who helped Novak Djokovic win ten Grand Slams during their partnership from 2019 until 2024. Rybakina began working with him during the off-season.
Tennis fans and analysts were taken aback when Rybakina announced on New Year's Day that Vukov would be part of her team for the 2025 season, although he would not act as her full-time coach.
The WTA swiftly revealed after Rybakina's announcement that Vukov had been provisionally banned and has been under investigation. He is suspected of mistreating the former world No. 3, but that has not been proven.
Vukov's coaching style is aggressive, and many think he sometimes crosses the line and becomes harsh and abusive towards Rybakina while she is trying to focus on competing under intense pressure.
Rybakina has strongly defended Vukov since the WTA made its investigation into the Croatian public. She claims he never abused her and accused others of unfairly making a show out of the situation.
Shriver has expressed concern about Rybakina rejoining Vukov, and she suspects he did mistreat her. Safe coach/player relationships are an issue close to Shriver's heart. The Australian revealed in 2022 that she had an inappropriate relationship with her much older coach, Don Candy.
Rybakina responded directly to Shriver at a press conference before the Australian Open. While she acknowledged that what happened to Shriver was sad, she is angry about the 22-time Grand Slam doubles champion not approaching her first.
"I get that one coach is Pam Shriver… I don’t know her personally. She never came to me. She never talked with me. I know her story. It’s sad, but it doesn’t mean other players are facing the same issues. She doesn’t know me. I don’t know her."
"I don’t think it’s fair to make any comments like that. Especially being an active coach, commentator, journalist and so on."
No one knows how the WTA will rule in its investigation of Vukov. What is certain is Rybakina's fury about the reaction to the saga. She feels many have rushed to conclusions that are unfair to her or her former coach.
Rybakina's current coaching partnership could also be in jeopardy because of the saga. Ivanisevic would not commit to staying with the Kazakhstani long-term when asked about the situation involving Vukov.
