Elena Rybakina has defended her coach Stefano Vukov after he became the target of concerned commentary during the Australian Open.
Former players turned broadcasters Pam Shriver and Laura Robson expressed their dismay at Vukov’s communication with Rybakina at Melbourne Park after he was shown speaking in an animated fashion after points.
“As I watch Rybakina try to win her second major in seven months, I hope she finds a coach who speaks and treats her with respect at ALL times and does not ever accept anything less,” Shriver tweeted during Rybakina’s loss to Aryna Sabalenka.
It came after Robson made similar comments during Rybakina’s semi-final win against Victoria Azarenka.
“I don’t know how she deals with the coach, he seems to be so negative,” the Brit said.
Footage of Vukov from this tournament and previous ones began doing the rounds on social media, adding to the controversy.
But Rybakina, the reigning Wimbledon champion, was having none of it.
“After a great AO, I have seen some disturbing comments on social media about the behaviour of my coach Stefano Vukov. I want to clarify any misinterpretations,” Rybakina wrote.
“Stefano has believed in me for many years, before anyone else did. We plotted a strategy together in how I could achieve great things and his method shows in my Grand Slam success so far.
“He is a passionate coach, with a lot of knowledge about tennis. Unlike people that are making these comments, he has great knowledge about me as a person and as an athlete.
“Those who know me well, will know that I would never accept a coach that didn’t respect me and all our hard work. I may be quiet on court and in general, but inside me is a competitive athlete that wants to achieve great things and Stefano has helped me greatly in this way. So please disregard any fake news to the contrary.”
The coaching community also rallied around Vukov.
Russian coach Dmitry Tursunov said Shriver had “zero clue what you are talking about and at the very least owe a public apology to a man who is a great coach in every sense of that word”.
“The man is loyal to his player with every atom of his body and soul,” he continued in a tweet to Shriver. “It’s a shame you have proved time and time again that you are blind to see anything than bunch of gestures.”
Patrick Mouratoglou, who coached Serena Williams for a decade, also weighed in.
“Some people throw others under the bus without any knowledge or information. Good job Elena for speaking up,” he tweeted.
