Elena Rybakina, known for her calm and focused demeanor on the court, has found herself at the center of controversy after reuniting with her former coach, Stefano Vukov, ahead of the 2025 season. After parting ways with Vukov in 2024, few expected to see him return to her corner. However, his comeback has stirred discussions among fans and tennis insiders alike.

Names such as Andy Roddick, Rennae Stubbs, and Jon Wertheim have all weighed in on the situation, but it was Pam Shriver’s remarks that particularly caught the attention of Rybakina. Shriver, a 22-time Grand Slam doubles champion, took to X on January 1st to express her opinion on the matter. She labeled Rybakina’s decision to bring Vukov back as “very sad” and 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 Elena Rybakina.”

Shriver’s concerns stem from personal experience. In 2022, she opened up about her own “inappropriate and damaging relationship” with a much older coach which began when she was just 17 and lasted five years. But Rybakina promptly replied to the doubles champion’s comments.

At a press conference ahead of the Australian Open on 11th January, the World No.6 said, “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.”

Rybakina’s decision to rehire Vukov has ignited a lightening of criticism. For the unversed, the Croatian coach has faced allegations of mistreatment, fueled by his visible and sometimes harsh reactions in Rybakina’s matches. The WTA has provisionally banned Vukov and launched an investigation into whether he violated the WTA Code of Conduct. While the details of the case remain undisclosed, Rybakina has consistently denied any claims of mistreatment.

Elena Rybakina backs coach Stefan Vukov amid controversy

While Stefan Vukov has been under investigation, as a temporary solution, Rybakina added Goran Ivanisevic to her coaching team during the off-season. Ivanisevic, a former Wimbledon champion, is on a trial basis until the end of the Australian Open. Despite the controversy surrounding Vukov, Rybakina confirmed last week that he would also return for the tournament in an “unspecified role.”

In the same press conference, the Kazakh player said, “I have never made any complaints or any of these things. I always said that he never mistreated me. Well, first of all, like with the whole situation, I don’t want to speak much about what’s going to be next. But definitely, as I said before, I don’t agree with a lot of things that WTA does in the sense of my relationship with Stefano.”

Rybakina reiterated her desire to move past the controversy. “Since this situation how it is now, I don’t really want to speak about this more. I want to focus on my matches here,” she added. The 2022 Wimbledon champion is now shifting her focus to the Australian Open, where she hopes to claim her maiden title in the land down under.

Rybakina is set to face Australian teenager Emerson Jones in her opening match on Tuesday. The controversy has cast a shadow over Rybakina’s campaign, but she remains determined to deliver strong performances on the court. Can she rise above the noise and let her tennis do the talking?