Rybakina Backs Vukov: He By no means Mistreated Me

By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Saturday, January 4, 2025
Picture credit score: Elena Rybakina Instagram

Elena Rybakina backs coach Stefano Vukov—and is asking out some coaches on Tour for his or her criticism of him.

Final week, Rybakina introduced Vukov, who beforehand coached her for greater than 5 years, was rejoining her staff as an assistant coach underneath head coach Goran Ivanisevic.

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After Rybakina’s announcement, The Athletic broke the information that Vukov is serving a provisional suspension that stops him from receiving a training credential for this month’s Australian Open.

Some coaches and commentators, together with Pam Shriver and Rennae Stubbs, have criticized Vukov for his therapy of Rybakina.

World No. 6 Rybakina mentioned Vukov has not mistreated her—and reiterated she’s not completely satisfied seeing crucial feedback from different coaches. 

“After all I am not likely pleased with the scenario. I am not pleased with the feedback which I see, particularly from the people who find themselves on the tour,” Rybakina advised the media at United Cup in Sydney. “It is energetic coaches, commentators. I do not assume that it is honest.

“Yeah, however the one factor I can say is, like, he by no means mistreated me. I’ve respect to him for every thing he did from the very starting once I was 200 all the way in which what we did, like, I do not know. You may identify me different coaches who had the identical success with gamers who’ve been 200 after which successful Grand Slam and being within the prime.”

Ivanisevic, who has coached Novak Djokovic and Marin Cilic to Grand Slam championships, was reportedly not within the loop on Vukov’s return and blindsided by the information.

Nevertheless, Rybakina mentioned she’s pleased with how her partnership with Ivanisevic is continuing, however didn’t say if her new coach is completely satisfied together with her former coach’s return to the staff.

“Nicely, I am working with Goran, and these articles got here out, I imply, I can solely say and I mentioned it already earlier than that [Stefano Vukov] by no means mistreated me or it was by no means something like that.

“I imply, I am working with Goran. I am completely satisfied the way in which we work now for the couple of weeks. As I additionally mentioned, that Stefano is rejoining the staff as a result of I do know the individual for six years, and there’s a lot of issues we are able to do outdoors of the court docket too.”