After nearly two months away from the court, Elena Rybakina is set to return to action at the WTA Finals. The former Wimbledon champion withdrew from the Asian swing of the tour because of health issues, including a persistent back injury. It also caused her withdrawal from the US Open in August, following a victory in her opening match. Additionally, there has been ongoing speculation regarding her split from former coach Stefano Vukov. Despite these hurdles, fans are eager to see her unique blend of strong backhand play and calm demeanor on the court.

On October 14th, the WTA official X profile confirmed the Kazakh’s qualification for the upcoming tournament. It marks her second consecutive year and first appearance since being fairly M.I.A. from the tennis scene. However, earlier today, she was captured in a recent photo taken by fans in Dubai. Significantly, Rybakina is supposedly training for the WTA Finals.

Earlier, there were speculations that she may be present at the World Tennis League exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. However, the event is scheduled in December and we’re yet to hear back from the player herself regarding the announcement. But right now the most asked question is, who will coach Elena Rybakina this time around? She parted ways with Vukov ahead of the US Open 2024. Since then, several tennis insiders have explained the reasons behind the decision to end a five-year partnership.

Earlier this month, renowned tennis journalist Sonya Tartakova spoke out about the situation. The journalist revealed that the relationship had become a source of immense psychological stress for Rybakina, leading to concerns about her mental health. She stated, “Her parents stood up for her because she couldn’t get out of that vicious circle.”

She also emphasized that while Vukov had been instrumental in Rybakina’s rise to the top, the emotional toll was too great to ignore, she noted, “On one hand, we are talking about the coach who has been with her since she was 17, whom she, along with her family, chose.” However, the negative impact of Vukov’s attitude ultimately pushed Rybakina to make a difficult decision for her well-being. Given the amount of success she achieved with the coach, it’s a tough call to make for his replacement.

Elena’s coaching situation gets a temporary fix

Additionally, as discussions on Elena Rybakina’s coaching situation continue to heat up, the Kazakh Tennis Federation’s Vice President, Dias Doskarayev, gave a short announcement. He confirmed that Vukov’s temporary replacement will be Lovro Zovko, a former doubles world No. 45, who will temporarily replace Stefano Vukov as Rybakina’s coach.

During an interview on 24 KZ TV. He acknowledged the difficulty in overlooking the success she had with Vukov, stating, “Everything is in progress now. The search is underway.” However, he acknowledged the challenge of replacing Vukov, who has been with Rybakina since February 2019. During this time, she achieved significant milestones, including winning her first major title at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships and reaching a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the WTA standings.

“Stefano Vukov brought her from 200th position to the top five. Therefore, it is a difficult question [to replace him],” he said, hinting that finding a permanent coach will take some time. Until then, Zovko will probably stay until year-end since Elena Rybakina is already familiar with him. Only time will tell if this will help the No.5 star keep up her momentum from earlier this season.

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