Elena Rybakina's Controversial Coach Vukov Provisionally Suspended By WTA
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Elena Rybakina's newly reappointed coach, Stefano Vukov, has been suspended by the WTA despite his return to her team.
There haven't been many coach-player relationships that would be under the microscope so much as the one between the 2022 Wimbledon Championships winner Elena Rybakina and Stefano Vukov.
Vukov is a former player who was ranked 1122nd in singles on the ATP Tour during his very short playing career, which he relatively quickly turned into a coaching career. In 2019, he started working with Rybakina.
Back then, not many knew about the Kazakhstani player who was ranked as low as 196th during that season. Under Vukov, she became a successful player and even a Grand Slam champion.
Although her success on the tennis court was evident, so were certain remarks from the Croatian coach and his overall attitude during some of Rybakina's matches. That was criticized by many current and former players.
In recent months, rumors about Vukov's alleged abusive behavior started circling around the tennis world, and when Rybakina parted ways with Vukov, it seemed like she might have indirectly confirmed those.
At the time, one of the rumors also suggested that Vukov was banned from the WTA Tour, but that was never officially confirmed and even denied by some.
At the start of the 2025 season, Rybakina shockingly reappointed Vukov as her coach, and only a few hours later, that shocking development was followed by another one.
According to the New York Times' The Athletic, Vukov has been provisionally suspended by the WTA. At the moment, there should be an ongoing investigation into his alleged breach of the WTA's Code of Conduct.
This means that even though Vukov should have supported Rybakina at the 2025 Australian Open, he won't be able to join her as her official coach, as Tennis Australia won't give the Croatian accreditation.
Of course, Vukov has denied these allegations, and in the past, Rybakina also defended him. As per The Athletic, the 37-year-old sent a text message from his flight to Australia on Thursday, which read: "Definitely never abused anyone."
The WTA also released a statement through a spokesperson, confirming Vukov's provisional suspension and the ongoing investigation tied to that.
"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."
"As part of the provisional suspension, Mr. Vukov is not eligible to obtain a WTA credential at this time. While the WTA does not typically comment on active investigations, we believe it is necessary to clarify this matter due to recent public statements that misrepresent the situation. We will not provide further details at this point in time."
The investigation should be in the final stages, with the reports suggesting that it's in its final stages, and the public should be able to learn the details of the case once it is resolved.
