Elena Rybakina’s US Open campaign has been dominated by the news off the court rather than her exploits at the ‘Flushing Meadows.’ The Kazakh tennis player had to withdraw from the second round of the Grand Slam citing injury concerns. This marked the eight time she has had to withdraw or retire from a tournament this year. But before the US Open got underway, Rybakina shockingly parted ways with her coach Stefano Vukov, a decision that baffled many.

Why would you cut ties with the coach that has led you to many of your career highs? More importantly, why would you do that three days before a Grand Slam? Well, the decision did seem confusing at that time, but we may have some indication of what was going on.

Hours after Rybakina pulled out of her second-round meeting against Jessika Ponchet, rumors started circulating that her former coach Stefano Vukov had been removed from the WTA coaches list and banned from the tour. A tweet from Craig Shapiro read, “Right now, reliable sources telling me that Vukov has been removed from the official WTA coaches list, which signifies a ban.” Shapiro had earlier posted about rumors that Vukov has been banned following Rybakina’s withdrawal.

Was Rybakina aware that her former coach would be banned? Was this the reason behind her sudden unexpected announcement that they would be ending their 5-year partnership? Maybe there is something to that story, or maybe they are completely unrelated. Still, this is massive news for Rybakina and Vukov both.

On August 23, the fourth-seed Rybakina announced via her Instagram story that she had ended her association with Vukov. “Hello everyone, after five years Stefano and I are no longer working together. I thank him for his work on-court and wish him all the best for the future,” she wrote. Shortly after it was reported that Rybakina will work with Yuri Shchukin, the assistant coach of the Kazakhstani female tennis team coach, for the US Open.

This decision did come as a surprise for the tennis world, given how successful the duo had been together. Under Vukov, Rybakina went from being outside the Top 100 to achieving a career-high ranking of 3 last season. During this time she also won the 2022 Wimbledon Championships and eight WTA titles including the 2023 Indian Wells Open and the Italian Open. However, Vukov’s stint was marred by criticism over his coaching methods.

He was criticized for berating Rybakina and being aggressive on the court with her during matches. This year Rybakina was seen in a heated argument with Vukov during the Australian Open. The two had an animated discussion before the Croatian tennis coach walked off. Vukov returned shortly to resume the discussion.

Last year as well during the Australian Open final similar scenes were witnessed. This led to more criticism of Vukov, as former British tennis player Laura Robson also called out his actions saying, “I don’t know how she deals with the coach, he seems to be so negative.” 

On Twitter, American tennis legend and broadcaster, Pam Shiver tweeted, “As I watch Rybakina try to win her second major in seven months, I hope she finds a coach who speaks and treats her with respect at ALL times and does not ever accept anything less.” But Rybakina defended Vukov.

Tweeting after the final, the Kazakh player was eager to highlight the role Vukov played in her journey and asked people to stop spreading rumors of a rift between them. She wrote,

“After a great AO, I have seen some disturbing comments on social media about the behavior of my coach Stefano Vukov. I want to clarify any misinterpretations. Stefano has believed in me for many years, before anyone else did…Unlike people that are making these comments, he has great knowledge about me as a player and an athlete. I would never accept a coach that didn’t respect me.”

Vukov is again under the scanner after the reports of his ban from the tour emerged. Rybakina’s withdrawal also brings an end to a whirlwind US Open campaign for her. Despite showing promise in her first-round win, she will have to wait another year to improve her poor US Open record. This withdrawal also means she has pulled out from yet another tournament this year.

Rybakina hopes to be back this year, but prioritizing her health for now

“I did not want to finish the last Grand Slam of the year this way but I have to listen to my body. I hope I can close out the remainder of the year strong,” Rybakina said after deciding to pull out from the US Open.

She started the campaign with a 6-1, 7-6 win against Australian Destanee Aiava, hoping to go beyond the third round at the Grand Slam this year. For Rybakina 2024 has been marred by withdrawals due to one reason or another.

In February she had to withdraw from the quarterfinals in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships due to a gastrointestinal issue. She then had to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, as she was still recovering from the gastrointestinal illness.

As the clay season came around, she was unable to defend her Canadian Open title citing illness. Then during the Berlin Open, she retired mid-match against Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals.

In the build-up to the Wimbledon Championships, she decided to skip the Eastbourne International citing scheduling conflicts. As the Paris Olympics came around, Rybakina was expected to shine for her nation and bring home a medal. But she pulled out days before the grand event due to a case of acute bronchitis. This also kept her out of the Toronto Open.

With her US Open mid-tournament departure due to an unspecified injury, Rybakina has to pull out from eight tournaments this season. It is to be seen how Elena Rybakina will fare for the remaining season. Having replaced Vukov with Yuri Schukin as her coach, it will intriguing to witness how the 25-year-old manages to restore her top form.