Serena Williams' former coach, Rennae Stubbs, thinks there is more to Elena Rybakina's split with her coach than what has been revealed, and people who believe otherwise are kidding themselves.
Stubbs has become one of the most respected analysts in tennis. She does not mince her words and is fully honest when giving an opinion on any matter related to the sport.
A much-publicized example was at the US Open when she criticized Coco Gauff's second-serve technique with her coach, Brad Gilbert, standing beside her. Gauff and Gilbert split after the US Open.
Afterward, Stubbs insisted that Gilbert did not feel any ill feelings about the matter and understood she was doing her job. It is unlikely that the Australian would stop being honest if Gilbert had been unhappy about the matter.
Serena Williams' ex-coach recently shared her view about an issue that has generated much attention in the last month: Elena Rybakina's absence from the WTA Tour and her split from longtime coach Stefano Vukov.
Rybakina worked with Vukov for over five years but suddenly announced she was no longer working with the Croatian a few days before the US Open began, stunning many tennis fans in the process.
The Kazakhstani's statement about the move was brief. She dodged questions about the issue during her press conferences at the US Open before withdrawing before her second-round match at Flushing Meadows.
Rybakina has not competed on the WTA Tour since. The 25-year-old explained her withdrawal from the ongoing China Open by saying she was nursing a back injury and hoped to be back playing as soon as possible.
However, some are concerned that the back injury explanation is a cover for her split with Vukov being at least partially the reason for her absence. It is rumored that Vukov has been banned from the WTA Tour.
Stubbs agrees with those who think there is more to her absence, saying on a recent episode of her podcast that people who believe Rybakina's explanation about her back are naive.
"She’s (Elena Rybakina) saying her injuries but listen, you’d have to be a dummy not to know there’s a lot more going on there. We are all rooting for her. This is a player that, arguably, at her best is the best player in the world."
The Australian acknowledged she and others do not have precise knowledge of what happened between Rybakina and Vukov, but she says the reports of his ban from the WTA Tour make it obvious it was not good.
"There’s obviously something going on with the coach. He has disappeared as well from the tour and there’s word that he’s been banned from the tour. So, there’s just something going on there that we clearly don’t have firsthand knowledge of but it’s pretty bloody obvious that it’s not good."
Stubbs has a strong knowledge of the WTA Tour, and her instincts tend to be accurate. Hopefully, Rybakina will soon return stronger than ever.
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