Elena Rybakina is in no wonderland. Marred by a nasty coaching split and plagued by her dropped form, she’s going through quite a lot this season. Adding more fuel to the fire, experts made no bones about her ex-coach Stefano Vukov; citing the strained relationship between the duo. Now an ex-ATP pro has brutally criticized Vokov again.

After enjoying modest success in the season’s first half, Rybakina fell off the wagon. She withdrew from multiple events, including commitments at the Paris Olympics and the Asian hardcourt swing. Amid her absence and drop in performance, the Kazakh shocked fans by announcing her break up with Vukov as a coach. Confusing, right? A five-year partnership, wherein they finessed the tour with laudable results, ended for no good reason sounds funny. Until it wasn’t. The duo parted ways due to the Croatian coach’s rumored ill-treatment of Rybakina – ultimately forcing her parents to conclude their run before things got uglier. Yevgeny Kafelnikov was another one on the list to confirm that.

While talking to ‘Sport.pl,‘ the two-time Grand Slam champion explained that Vukov’s demeanor is worth the worry. Expanding on the subject further, the Russian sensation took shots at Rybakina’s ex-coach by claiming that he is on the outs with WTA’s coach panel, having lost his ticket to even spectate tour-level showdowns. “I do not know what is happening with Rybakina, but she has a muddy story related to her former coach. His attitude is unacceptable, he cannot take part in any WTA tournaments, even as a spectator. I do not know how long he was suspended.” Surprisingly, Kafelnikov has been grinding both coaches and players this year.

Notably, the Olympic winner took potshots at Polish No. 1 Iga Swiatek after she lamented WTA’s hectic year-long calendar. Vexed with her comments, Kafelnikov blasted her saying: “Is someone forcing you to play? All you f***ing do is complain! I’ll tell you what you deserve! You deserve a much lower salary than you get now! What do you think about that?” However, as for Rybakina, fans were luckily privy to a relieving update from her nation’s team captain.

Elena Rybakina to feature in WTA Finals as per Kazakh national team captain

Kazakathani superstar Elena Rybakina has suffered enough and to prolong her misery is something unacceptable to her fans. It is to her national tennis team as well. Having gone dark after her coaching split, Rybakina’s health concerns and future participation were listed by her national team captain, Yuri Schukin.

With her inclusion in the United Cup 2025, the coach revealed that: “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. 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 (United Cup match-up).”

For now, fans can only hope for an optimistic outcome for Rybakina. With no coach aiding her and no suitable recruits in sight, the Kazakh will likely aim to add a fresh to her team before launching her performance in the upcoming season.