Before diving into the US Open fray, Elena Rybakina was spotted sharpening her skills with a new coach by her side. The recent buzz around Rybakina has been centered on her decision to part ways with her former coach, Stefano Vukov. This move left many fans curious about her next steps. However, Rybakina is wasting no time and is already working under the guidance of Yuri Schukin.

World No. 4 Rybakina has commenced her training with Yuri Schukin, the captain of Kazakhstan men’s tennis team, ahead of the US Open. The 45-year-old was the assistant coach of the Kazakhstani women’s team before taking on the role of men’s team captain in March 2020. Schukin made his ATP Tour debuts at the 2001 Australian Open in singles and the 2000 Dutch Open in Amsterdam in doubles. He peaked at World No. 119 in the ATP singles rankings in 2007 and World No. 117 in the doubles rankings in 2000.

Rybakina was recently spotted practicing her forehands on the practice courts at the US Open, with new coach Yuri Schukin by her side. The social media video revealed her rigorous training regimen for the competition.

Rybakina and Stefano Vukov had been together since 2019, forging a fruitful collaboration that helped the Kazakh star become well-known. Rybakina rose to a career-high WTA ranking of No. 3 and won her first major championship at Wimbledon two years ago under Vukov’s tutelage. Subsequently, their collaboration was marked by significant achievements, making their split all the more noteworthy.

The World No. 4 acknowledged her separation from Vukov a few weeks ago and thanked him for his support of her career and the accomplishments they shared. She stated, “Hello everyone, after five years Stefano and I are no longer working together. I thank him for his work on-court and wish him all the best for the future. Thank you all for the support.”

During their partnership, Rybakina achieved phenomenal success, winning eight WTA events and claiming her first major title. However, despite these accomplishments, their collaboration faced notable tensions and criticism toward Vukov’s coaching style, occasionally overshadowing their progress.

Elena Rybakina’s take on the criticism of Stefano Vukov’s coaching style

After her split with Stefano Vukov, Elena Rybakina responded to critiques of his coaching methods. She defended Vukov, emphasizing how his enthusiasm and enduring faith in her skills were crucial to creating her winning plan.

Rybakina wrote on her Instagram, “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.”

In addition, the 25-year-old emphasized that she would not have collaborated with someone who treated her disrespectfully and that Vukov’s assistance was essential to her tennis success. Nevertheless, they have split now and Rybakina must be looking for a healthy player-coach partnership with her new coach Yuri Schukin.

Do you think Yuri Schukin will have a successful stint as Rybakina’s coach? Let us know in the comment section below.