Elena Rybakina's Fitness Coach Announces Departure From Her Team
News
Elena Rybakina's team is once again in the headlines after her fitness coach revealed he has split from the former Wimbledon champion.
Rybakina's season has been overshadowed by her relationship with former coach Stefano Vukov. The Croatian is serving a one-year ban from the WTA after being found to have mistreated her.
That decision by the women's tennis governing body means she cannot rehire Vukov. Goran Ivanisevic, who had replaced Vukov at the start of the 2025 season, left her team after last month's Australian Open, almost certainly because of the awkward situation with her former coach.
Hence, Rybakina has been playing without a permanent coach since the end of the Australian Open. During such a challenging period, she might have valued the existing members of her team, including fitness coach Azuz Simcich.
However, Simcich announced his departure from Rybakina's team on Instagram. He gave no specific reasons for his decision but expressed gratitude to the WTA star for their journey together.
"After an incredible journey alongside Elena, it's time to move on. I'm deeply grateful for the experiences, challenges, and unforgettable moments we shared. Wishing you nothing but success and happiness in your future endeavors @lenarybakina.”
Despite Simcich's warm statement, speculation will undoubtedly wage about the move being linked to Vukov since Rybakina has made no secret of her desire to add him to her team again.
The former world No. 3 stunned the tennis world on New Year's Day by announcing that Vukov would be joining her team once again, which led to the WTA feeling duty-bound to make its investigation into Vukov's behavior public.
He was blocked from joining Rybakina again because of his provisional suspension, but the WTA suspended him for a year after finding several instances of disturbing behavior from Vukov toward her during their player-coach relationship.
The WTA's shocking report included Vukov verbally abusing Rybakina using multiple different words and throwing tennis balls at her. If true, those are clear and obvious examples of being mistreated by a coach.
However, Rybakina has repeatedly said that Vukov did not abuse her, despite concerns about the Croatian's behavior during matches for several years. That led to fears about him being even worse behind the scenes.
Although Rybakina has defended Vukov several times, it is unclear whether she denies the specific allegations in the WTA report or claims they are exaggerated or not actual instances of mistreatment.
Simcich's failure to state his real reasons for splitting from Rybakina will raise questions about whether he disagrees with her attempts to work with Vukov again. People around Rybakina did provide evidence for the WTA's investigation into Vukov, which helped lead to his ban.
Rybakina is without a permanent coach or fitness trainer, so she enters next week's 2025 Indian Wells Open with much uncertainty. Although she is a former champion at the tournament, repeating that under current circumstances will be challenging.
Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Iga Swiatek are among the other players on the 2025 Indian Wells Open WTA entry list.
