Elena Rybakina is back in action, and the drama surrounding her coaching situation is just as intense as ever! After a tough fourth-round exit at the Australian Open against Madison Keys, the Kazakh star has landed in the Middle East for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open. Despite battling fatigue and injuries that kept her sidelined during much of the 2024 season, she’s ready to defend her title and show everyone what she’s made of! With expectations soaring, she is still dealing with the aftermath of her coaching saga.

After a whirlwind of changes in her coaching lineup, Rybakina has quickly adapted to a new setup. Following Goran Ivanisevic’s departure and Stefano Vukov’s ongoing suspension, she has brought in Italian coach Davide Sanguinetti to help steer her through this chaotic time.

While focusing on the tournament, Rybakina addressed her new coaching situation and the controversy with Vukov, who remains banned from all sanctioned events pending an investigation. Speaking to AFP at the Abu Dhabi Open on Sunday, she said, “We are working with David like just did one week of preparation and actually Setfeno a little bit and I knew him a little from before. So he was actually available and sometimes he would speak with Stefanos like since they know each other and yeah we see how it goes. But for now, I’m happy with the way we worked this week. Hopefully, it will go well for us but again it’s something you need to take time and get used to each other.”

Her new coach is a former ATP player who retired in 2009 after reaching a career-high ranking of No. 42, is stepping in during this tumultuous period. However, Rybakina has had little time to get to know him due to the sudden changes in her coaching lineup. What initially seemed like a solid partnership with Ivanisevic after her Australian Open exit didn’t last long once Vukov re-entered the picture.

Rybakina insists there’s more to this story but keeps it between her and her team. “I think safeguarding is important but the case what happened with us I don’t think that was handled well,” she stated. “At the end of the day, I think that you need to listen to the player is most important because as I said before there is a lot of comments from people which also in our environment.” Since the Australian Open, she has been clear that Vukov “never mistreated” her, despite ongoing debates about his behavior on court. “But they making not knowing me, knowing him and it’s just making a bad look for everyone,” she added.

So there you have it! The 2022 Wimbledon champ has shared yet another update on her coaching situation. Will this be the last word? It’s hard to say right now. As she noted, we’ll know more once the tournament kicks off on Wednesday. On the other hand, this season, she’s been dealing with some issues related to her ongoing back injury.

Top Comment by Chippy Orendain

Many among us are worried that Vukov’s re-entry into Rybakina’s team will be a positive move. We’ve seen him in...more

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Elena Rybakina relied on her physio’s “magic” during the Australian Open

Rybakina kicked off her 2025 season in style at the Australian Open! She entered her third-round clash with Dayana Yastremska, and excitement was in the air—she was the heavy favorite! Things got a little tense when she faced a back injury early on, but she shook it off, broke Yastremska, and wrapped up the first set like a pro to win 6-3, 6-4.

After the match, Rybakina opened up about her back issue during an in-court interview. “Honestly, I didn’t know how it would go. It came suddenly. It wasn’t easy… I knew that it will be very difficult to stay long in the rally so I was trying to play aggressive but sometimes risk little bit more so yeah really happy that it went in my way,” she said. When asked how she felt after the match, she replied with a hint of concern, “Not really. Hopefully, my physio can do some magic.” Her physio Stefan Duell was spotted working with her afterward, while her former coach Ivanisevic looked on with a worried expression.

Now, coming into the Middle East swing, she’s not just aiming to defend her title; she wants to replicate last year’s impressive run that included two titles and an 11-2 record by the end of Abu Dhabi. Will she finally break her winless streak since last April?