The hunt is on for Rybakina’s next coach; an interim one is probably in place for the remainder of 2024.
Some clarity has been provided about Elena Rybakina’s coaching situation, with the vice president of the Kazakhstan Tennis Federation saying the WTA star is searching for a replacement for Stefano Vukov.
Rybakina has only played two matches since losing in the Wimbledon semifinal to Barbora Krejcikova. After missing the Olympics with an illness, she lost in her opening contest at the Cincinnati Open to Leylah Fernandez.
Her last appearance on the court was the first round of the US Open over a month ago. She then pulled out of her second-round match at Flushing Meadows and subsequently withdrew from the China Open and the Wuhan Open.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion said she was nursing a back injury and had no choice but to miss the Chinese tournaments. However, many fans and analysts doubt that is the actual reason.
A few days before the US Open began, Rybakina suddenly split from her longtime coach, Stefano Vukov. Her announcement about the move was brief, and the 25-year-old dodged questions about it during press conferences.
Although Rybakina did not publicly comment on the reasons for the split, some, such as Serena Williams’ former coach, Rennae Stubbs, felt there was more to the story and that the injury was a cover-up for what happened with her coach.
That belief was given greater credence when a well-known journalist reported that Rybakina had psychological problems after working with Vukov because of how the Croatian treated her.
A few days later, Aryna Sabalenka’s coach, Anton Dubrov, said it was possible that Rybakina may have asked for Vukov to be removed from the WTA Tour, and whether he was banned would soon be revealed.
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