At this point, we can confidently say, that Elena Rybakina's coach Stefano Vukov is a man who doesn't shy from the spotlight.
The controversial Croatian coach was once again under bright headlights as his uncanny on-court behavior provoked the ire of tennis fans on social media. During a third-round match at the 2023 US Open between Rybakina and Sorana Cirstea, Vukov was chatty and gallurous as she passed instructions to his charge.
Even Portuguese journalist Jose Morgado couldn't help but notice Vukov being chatty not just on Rybakina's but also during Cirstea's serve. He became more problem generator than a problem solver, as Rybakina was under the cosh for most of the match.
Rybakina did commendable work to fight back from a first-set deficit, winning a closely-contested second set in a tiebreak. In the decider, momentum swayed Cirstea's way as the Romanian built a 5-3 lead. But despite Rybakina foiling the Romanian's attempt to serve for the match, she couldn't hold to level the set at 5-all.
Cirstea broke for 6-4, ending Rybakina's quest for a second Grand Slam title. While progress has been made this season, as Rybakina managed to reach another Slam final (Australian Open) and won two WTA 1000s, the partnership between Rybakina and Vukov has been simmering for some time, and it is now boiling.
The Kazakhstani player will finish the season without a major title to her name after last year's Wimbledon success and will need to have a face-to-face dialogue to discuss their long-term future as a team.
Just a few weeks ago, Rybakina publicly scolded Vukov during her match against Jelena Ostapenko in Cincinnati, telling him, 'if I need something I'll ask.' It was a rare occasion where Rybakina momentarily lost her cool as she felt Vukov was going overboard with her instructions and it was clearly having a negative implication on her game.
It's not the first time that Vukov has been under fire for his antics on the court. Back at the Australian Open, former WTA players Marion Bartoli and Pam Shriver slammed Vukov for being disrespectful in his mannerisms. Rybakina was forced to put out a post in his defense. But after this latest experience, the Croat is walking on thin ice.
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