Elena Rybakina has certainly faced a bumpy road lately, and her season has been far from the fairytale run fans were hoping for. After claiming victory at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in April, things seemed to have taken a turn for the worse. To make matters more complicated, her split with longtime coach Stefano Vukov grabbed headlines, with rumors swirling about a rift between the two. But now, it looks like there’s a spark of hope for Rybakina fans! Despite the turbulence, some positive news is on the horizon about her return.

The Kazhak tennis sensation’s compatriot, Yuri Schukin, has come forward to share a remarkable update to the relief of the fans of the WTA Star. Speaking after he announced the Kazakhstan roster for the Billie Jean King Cup, Schukin released a statement that hinted at Rybakina’s return to the courts for the WTA Finals and the Billie Jean King Cup, both of which are scheduled in November. 

In the statement, Schukin revealed, “The leader of our team Elena Rybakina plans to play at the WTA Final Tournament by the end of this playing season, where she qualified due to her successful results at the beginning of the year.” For those unaware, Rybakina’s qualification was confirmed on October 14, which led to several speculations. And now, Rybakina’s compatriot has suggested that this might not be the only positive news. 

“Now Elena feels well, and if she manages to show a confident game in Riyadh, she is determined to play in the matches against the Korean team,” the statement reads further. Remember, there was a huge furor over Rybkina’s partnership and split with her former coach Vukov? The controversy erupted after a tennis bigwig and Russian journalist, Sofya Tartakova, dropped a bombshell during an interview. She claimed that Rybakina faced distressing situations with her coach and alleged that the Croatian coach was even banned from the WTA, although there was no official confirmation.

Rybakina, too, missed more than 10 tournaments this season and has not been seen on the courts since her second-round withdrawal from the US Open. While these absences were attributed to poor health, Tartakova claimed, “As people who did not work with her, but were involved in her professional career, say, she is now under a lot of stress, and this is all psychosomatic.” Interestingly, Rybakina had also expressed her desire to return to the courts ahead of the season finale. 

While announcing her withdrawal from the Asian Swing, the Kazhak player said that her medical team is working hard to get her back onto the court and that she will work on getting “back on the court before the season finale.” But who will be the solution to Rybakina’s woes as she aims to return? Well, there seems to be an answer.

Elena Rybakina reportedly hires a temporary coach after splitting with Stefano Vukov

Elena Rybakina partnered with Stefano Vukov in 2019 and reached great heights under his mentorship. However, her split with Vukov amid rumors of a rift and a vicious insult cycle left the player without any mentor, even if she desired to be back on the courts. However, Kazakh Tennis Federation’s Vice President, Dias Doskarayev, made a short statement confirming that Vukov’s temporary replacement will be Lovro Zovko, a former doubles world No. 45.

In an interaction with 24 KZ TV, Doskarayev earlier revealed, “Everything is in progress now. The search is underway.” However, he highlighted that this would only be a temporary solution, highlighting the difficulty in replacing Vukov. “Most likely, the second coach Lovro Zovko will temporarily replace him. He is a priority choice for Elena Rybakina’s team. We are talking to her now, other coaches are also being considered. Stefano Vukov brought her from 200th position to the top five. Therefore, it is a difficult question [to replace him]. “The process is underway. Most likely, Lovro Zorko will stay until the end of the year.” 

For Rybakina, it is extremely crucial to return to her dominant self yet again and be back on the court, thereby bringing an end to the long absence. Will she be able to do that soon? Well, only time will tell.