The topsy-turvy Elena Rybakina-Stefano Vukov relationship has seen its fair share of drama in the past six months. Following the Kazakh’s split from the coach just before the US Open last year, tensions surrounding his alleged mistreatment of her haven’t left the chat. Despite trying to turn the corner with the Croatian coach and claiming that she wasn’t mishandled by him, Rybakina can’t rid herself of resistance from the WTA – the governing body of women’s tennis – and fans are concerned about her future now.

Following his departure as the Kazakh star’s head coach in August 2024, authorities launched an investigation against him for breaching the code of conduct. He was since provisionally suspended but, the latest reports show us that Vukov’s ban will now follow indefinitely, following an independent tribunal’s decision.

The report read, “Following this process, the suspension remains in place. To protect the confidentiality and integrity of the investigation and its findings, the WTA will not provide further details. We remain committed to ensuring that all matters are handled in a fair and objective manner in accordance with the WTA Code of Conduct.” Though Vukov can appeal against the decision, for now, things will only get harder for Rybakina.

Rybakina hasn’t enjoyed much luck on the tour since the Croatian’s departure. Moreover, due to this, she cannot add him back to her team – something she had hoped to do at the start of the 2025 season. With no backup plans, fans are worried about what will follow.

Tennis fans go haywire after Elena Rybakina’s former coach Stefano Vukov faces indefinite ban

Kazakhstani superstar Elena Rybakina, one of the most promising talents on the tour – is enduring a somewhat resurgent spell of troubles. While, on the one hand, her health status keeps dipping, on the other, the former World No. 3’s struggle to stay locked in with a coach keeps respawning.

Notably, one fan highlighted that “Elena is cooked in the short term now. She has no plan b for a good coach and burning her bridges with Goran not only cost her a top-tier coach, none of the other great coaches want to work with her now because Vukov will always be around in the background by phone.” Another user resonated with that statement and said, “Rybakina’s gonna be regretting wasting her opportunity with Goran now in favour of that nonsense.”

For those unaware, in November 2024, the former World No. 3 appointed Novak Djokovic‘s former coach Goran Ivanisevic to her coaching camp. Though the partnership initially showed promise, it failed to deliver on its merits. The alliance broke off following their maiden Grand Slam appearance at the Australian Open after Rybakina lost to eventual champion Madison Keys in the Round of 16. One of the main reasons why Ivanisevic parted ways with her was because she decided to reappoint Vukov as her coach, despite the ongoing investigation into his conduct.

During her time in Melbourne, Rybakina also rebuffed claims of her former coach’s aggressive behavior towards her and stated that she never made any complaints about him. “I don’t agree with a lot of things the WTA do in the sense of my relationship with Stefano.”

Taking back to fans’ comments, one netizen was puzzled by Rybakina’s decision to realign with the Croatian coach. “I’m afraid this is going to affect Lena, she is very involved with Vukov for some reason.” Another fan went on to add – “We are nearing the biggest moments in Rybakina’s career atm. She’s standing at the border of giving up her career for a man or dumping him and becoming the player she can be.” One user slammed the Croatian coach for finally making a “decision but the saddest part is that he won’t leave her alone.” 

Speaking before Dubai International, the Kazakh star confirmed that she was indeed in contact with Vukov and he was assisting her in “a lot of things, on the court, outside of the court”. The duo worked together for five years and their partnership was nothing short of successful. The Croatian coach guided her to clinch her maiden Slam at the 2022 Wimbledon, among other WTA titles.

One might say that Vukov might surprise the former World No. 3’s showing on the tour if he returns but, as things stand right now, Rybakina will have to make do with fine-tuning her skills and tournament preparations with Davide Sanguinetti, an Italian former tennis player.