World No.6 Elena Rybakina has defended former coach Stefano Vukov after the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) announced he would be provisionally suspended while they investigated him for a possible breach of the tour’s code of conduct.
Rybakina, who parted ways with Vukov in August 2024, has since linked up with Novak Djokovic’s former coach Goran Ivanisevic, but announced on January 1 that Vukov would be returning to her team this year.
Speaking for the first time since the news of Vukov’s suspension broke on Friday, Rybakina said she was “not happy” with the accusations levelled at her former coach.
“I can only say, and I’ve said it already before, that he never mistreated me, or it was never anything like that,” Rybakina said.
“I’m working with Goran, happy the way we work now for a couple of weeks, and I also said that Stefano is rejoining the team because I know the person for six years – and there is a lot of things that we can do outside of the court too.”
Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina at the United Cup in Sydney.Credit: Getty Images
According to The Athletic, the WTA launched its investigation last year after complaints were made about Vukov’s conduct, which figures in the sport had described as intense and harsh.
Rybakina said she was disappointed by those comments.
“Of course, I’m not really happy with the situation,” she said. “I’m not happy with the comments which I see, especially from the people on the tour. It’s active coaches, commentators. I [don’t] think it’s fair, but the only thing I can say is he never mistreated me.
“I have respect to him for everything he did from the very beginning when I was [ranked] 200 … you can name me other coaches who had the same successful players who did 200 and then win a grand slam and being in the top.”
Vukov, who coached Rybakina to her 2022 Wimbledon title, issued a statement to The Athletic during his flight from Dubai to Australia on Thursday. “Definitely never abused anyone,” it read.
Stefano Vukov, former coach of Elena Rybakina, has been suspended by the Women’s Tennis Association.Credit: Getty Images
Vukov won’t be allowed access to the 2025 Australian Open, or any other WTA event while suspended.
Rybakina’s comments came after Kazakhstan were eliminated from the United Cup by Poland, following singles victories by Iga Swiatek and Hubert Hurkacz.
Kazakhstan started their United Cup campaign in Perth before travelling to Sydney for the semi-finals, and both Rybakina and teammate Alexander Shevchenko said they were disadvantaged compared to teams that were based in Sydney for the whole tournament.
“I think it’s just ridiculous that we have to fly five hours, and then time change…we went to sleep a little bit later because we cannot fall asleep, and obviously the condition is so much different,” Shevchenko said. “Here is indoors and there is outdoors, that is quite a bit slower. Here is faster.”
Rybakina agreed that the cross-country adjustment was difficult due to the temperature, humidity and court change.
“It’s not easy to fly, it was like four and a half, five hours flight, and then you have only a day and a half, basically, to prepare, to adjust, and of course it’s not enough,” she said. “Ideally if we would play everybody in one place, it will be much, much better for everyone.”
