In tennis, U-turns on major decisions are not uncommon. Be it players coming out from retirement or broken partnerships coming to life again, we have seen it all. One such scenario occurred earlier today after Elena Rybakina announced her decision to reunite with ex-coach, Stefano Vukov. The Kazakh star had ended the partnership mutually just months ago but shocked the tennis world by making a U-turn on this decision. However, this move hasn’t gone down well with her fans, who are questioning the controversial partnership.

Taking to her official Instagram handle, Rybakina posted a story with the message reading, “Hello everyone, I am excited to announce that Stefano will be joining the team for the 2025 season. Thank you all for the support. And wishing you a great 2025.” Rybakina’s partnership with Vukov has often come into question due to the latter’s controversial coaching methods. Vukov was criticized for pushing Rybakina beyond limits and even faced the wrath of some bigwigs in the tennis world.

Doubles legend and commentator, Pam Shriver once said, “As I watch Rybakina try to win her second major in 7 months, I hope she finds a coach who speaks and treats her with respect at ALL times and does not ever accept anything less.”

Interestingly, after Rybakina cut ties with Vukov last year, she announced that Novak Djokovic’s ex-coach, Goran Ivanisevic would join her team. While he will work in the role of a mentor, Vukov will continue coaching Rybakina. However, fans aren’t happy after Rybakina took a U-turn on her partnership with Vukov.

Fans left speechless after Elena Rybakina brings back Stefano Vukov

While Vukov has often been called out for his brutal methods of coaching, Rybakina has been quick to jump to his defense and rubbished those talks. Even when she announced their split, she maintained that it was a mutual decision to separate and had nothing to do with his coaching methods. One of the fans wasn’t happy that the two reunited, saying, “Somebody free her from that weirdo.”

It was alleged that Vukov would go to extreme lengths to make Rybakina succeed on the court. As a result, when the Kazakh star announced that she was teaming up with Vukov again, a fan remembered the popular theory of ‘Stockholm Syndrome.’ The theory explains why some people prefer to team up with their captors or abusers and the psychological bond behind it.

Rybakina’s decision to re-hire Vukov left many fans speechless. Their partnership had often come under scrutiny despite it being a long-time and successful one. The two had been together for almost five years during which Rybakina won a Grand Slam title. One netizen had ‘no words’ to express his feelings after he found out that the two had gotten together again despite Vukov’s controversial coaching methods. Further, another X user was left in utter disbelief after reading about Rybakina’s decision on social media. Her strange decision led to a candid reaction from a fan, who commented, “Jesus take the wheel.”

While many fans questioned Rybakina’s decision to reunite with Vukov, one fan wrote, “It’s her decision after all but she seemed so happy last few months after splitting. I wish he doesn’t kill her vibe and bring back bad habits on and off court.”

It remains to be seen if Rybakina’s decision to re-hire Vukov turns out to be the correct decision or not. What do you think?