The tennis world is never short on drama, and this time, it’s Elena Rybakina’s coaching saga that’s making all the noise. Just when it seemed like things had settled, the latest twist has thrown a major curveball—courtesy of the WTA. In a shocking development, the WTA has intensified its crackdown on the Kazakh star’s ex-coach, Stefano Vukov. Now it seems that a reunion between the two might be off the table for the foreseeable future. For Rybakina, who has already been navigating a turbulent season, this update only adds to the uncertainty.

The Kazakh tennis sensation is currently undergoing her campaign at the Qatar Open and will play against Rebecca Šramková in the Round of 16. But ahead of her match, the WTA has released a statement about her ex-coach Stefano Vukov, sharing that the investigation going against him has been concluded. The result? His suspension will continue to remain in place. However, enough details about the investigation have not been made public as of yet.

In its statement, the WTA stated that it “confirms that the independent investigation into a potential breach of the WTA Code of Conduct by Stefano Vukov has concluded. Following this process, the suspension remains in place. To protect the confidentiality and integrity of the investigation and its findings, the WTA will not provide further details. We remain committed to ensuring that all matters are handled in a fair and objective manner in accordance with the WTA Code of Conduct.” While the duration of the ban is not made public, it is reported to be for one year, per The Athletic. Remember, the entire controversy erupted after Rybakina and Vukov parted ways right before the US Open after working together for 5-long years. 

Soon after their split, a major bombshell was dropped by Russian journalist, Sofya Tartakova during an interview who alleged Vukov of creating a distressing atmosphere for Rybakina. Rybakina also partnered with Novak Djokovic’s ex-coach Goran Ivanisevic on a trial basis, a partnership that has now come to an end. On January 1, Rybakina finally announced that she would be reuniting with her ex-coach Vukov in a surprising move that drew her immense criticism. However, destiny had other plans. 

Vukov was soon suspended by the WTA over allegations of breaching the code of conduct, the decision regarding which has finally come to light. Interestingly, both Vukov and Rybakina have been critical of the suspension and have expressed their disappointment, repeatedly denying any wrongdoing. Ahead of the Australian Open this year, Rybakina expressed her disappointment over the entire situation and cleared Vukov of any mistreatment. “I don’t agree with a lot of things,” she said. “What WTA do in the sense of my relationship with Stefan as I said before that I have never made any complaints or any of these things and I always said that he never mistreated me,” Rybakina added. Notably, this was not all. She even engaged in an indirect feud with former veteran Pam Shriver over the latter’s steadfast comments against Vukov. 

When Elena Rybakina refuted Pam Shriver’s comments with a bold statement

As soon as Elena Rybakina announced her reunion with Stefano Vukov in January this year, a flood of reactions started to flow. One of the people to share her thoughts was none other than Pam Shriver, who wrote, “It’s time for our entire sport to finally stand up to known abuse and cult like manipulations of players. This is a very sad situation and my prayers are with ER.” However, this seemingly did not sit well with Rybakina, who did not hesitate to hit back at the 62-year-old with a bold remark.

During a press conference ahead of the Australian Open Rybakina expressed her dissatisfaction over Shriver’s comment. “I get that one coach is Pam Shriver… I don’t know her personally. She never came to me. She never talked with me. I know her story. It’s sad, but it doesn’t mean other players are facing the same issues. She doesn’t know me. I don’t know her. I don’t think it’s fair to make any comments like that. Especially being an active coach, commentator, journalist, and so on,” she said. However, it seems that the Kazakh star will have to defend her ex-coach a little more – although ultimately, there’ll be little to gain from it.

For now, it will be interesting to see how Elena Rybakina reacts to the entire saga. Will it affect her professional duties going forward in the season? Well, that remains to be seen.