Elena Rybakina's Controversial Coach Reportedly Trying To Overturn WTA Suspension
NewsMonday, 02 June 2025 at 18:36
Stefano Vukov, Elena Rybakina's long-term coach, cannot work with her at official tournaments, but reports indicate the Croatian is trying to change that.
Rybakina was coached by Vukov for over five years. Under his guidance, she went from playing ITF events to winning the 2022 Wimbledon Championships and reaching the 2023 Australian Open final a few months later.
Vukov unexpectedly split from Rybakina a few days before the 2024 US Open. The Kazakhstani did not want to provide many details when asked about it, and subsequently withdrew from the tournament just hours before her second-round match.
Rybakina then missed over two months, with several rumors circulating about her being unwell after parting from Vukov. Some fans and analysts had accused the Croat of distasteful behavior toward Rybakina for a few years before the split.
When the former Wimbledon winner suddenly revealed her intention to have Vukov on her team again, despite working with Goran Ivanisevic, who quit as her coach a few weeks later after the 2025 Australian Open, the true situation regarding Vukov became known.
Rybakina wanting to work with Vukov again forced the WTA to reveal that he had been provisionally suspended on suspicion of mistreating the player while her coach, even though Rybakina did not want the investigation to occur.
The WTA ultimately upheld Vukov's ban, and he remains suspended from WTA tournaments. However, he has been pictured with Rybakina's team outside of professional events, and the two are rumored to be romantically linked.
Reporting from the Athletic's Matthew Futterman indicates that Vukov is not content with being in the shadows. Instead, he is taking steps to overturn the suspension so he can begin travelling with Rybakina again.
"Two people briefed on the appeal and the arbitration process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships in tennis, said Vukov is seeking to overturn his ban from the WTA Tour. Vukov, who was suspended by the WTA Tour for breaching its code of conduct, is now in private arbitration with the governing body of women’s tennis, per the sources."
The Athletic's reporting also says Vukov is acting as Rybakina's agent and has told people around him that he wants to represent her commercially, a move that would cause alarm among many.
Concerns about Vukov being a toxic and controlling influence on Rybakina will become greater if he is handling the commercial aspect of her life. It would give him even more power and a position to potentially steer her in directions he wants.
It is important to emphasize that Rybakina claims Vukov never mistreated her and clearly wants him to play a more visible role. However, many are worried that she holds this opinion from the position of someone who has been treated badly and cannot see a life outside of him.
Whether Vukov gets the ban overturned remains to be seen. What seems more obvious is that he intends to stay in Rybakina's life for the foreseeable future and is not perturbed by fans who would prefer he stayed away from her.
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