Elena Rybakina looks unmoved with off-court buzz! Her US Open campaign began on a winning note as she beat Australia’s Destanee Aiava by 6-1, 7-6(1) in the first round. Now, she’ll face France’s Jessika Ponchet in the second round. However, shortly after her emphatic R1 victory, she was asked about her recent split with her longtime coach Stefano Vukov. What was the reason for her last-minute change in her coaching team ahead of the 2024 US Open?

Rybakina has worked with Vukov for almost five years since (February 2019). During his tenure, apart from winning the major title, the Kazakhstani tennis star won eight career titles overall, reached the Top 3 spot in the women’s singles ranking, and also made it through to the finals at the 2023 AO.

Rybakina looked a bit hesitant about going too deep on this topic. She just replied, “Well, I don’t want to talk about it too much, but yeah, that was our decision, to split.” She won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships under him. So, this decision just days before the US Open has surprised quite a few in the tennis world.

While announcing the split on social media, she appreciated Stefano Vukov’s constant support throughout these years in her career. She wrote, “Hello Everyone, After 5 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. Thank you for all your support.”

Despite the the criticisms they faced, especially during the 2023 AO, Ryabkina has always backed the style of her coach. “Stefano has believed in me for many years before anyone else did. We plotted a strategy together in how I could achieve great things and his method shows in my Grand Slam success so far. He is a passionate coach, with a lot of knowledge about tennis,” said Rybakina, which makes their split even more surprising.

Apart from having enormous success throughout his stay on Rybakina’s team, Vukov also received quite a few criticisms for his coaching style. How did Rybakina react to those comments then?

Elena Rybakina stood beside her former coach amid all criticisms in the past

Throughout the 2023 season, there have been many such incidents where Elena Rybakina’s former coach was heavily criticized by even some of the big names of the tennis world. His “frantic and intense” coaching style raised a few eyebrows during his tenure with Rybakina. For example, during the 2023 AO final when Elena Rybakina lost to Aryna Sabalenka, Vukov got a fair bit of criticism for his harsh mid-match comments from the player’s box.

After seeing all these dramatic scenes, the former American tennis star, Pam Shriver said, “I hope she finds a coach who speaks and treats her with respect at ALL times and does not ever accept anything less.” Even during the 2023 US Open, during her R3 match against Sorana Cirstea, Vukov was spotted constantly relaying instructions to Rybakina during Cirstea’s serve. His behavior wasn’t well accepted among the fans at that time and he was heavily criticized. During another instance in a crucial match against Victoria Azarenka, he was found screaming at Elena Rybakina.

Rybakina has consistently defended their partnership over these years. While speaking to Canal+ during the WTA Finals in 2023, Rybakina addressed the complaints of her coach having “bad behavior,” and said, that this is a “bad conclusion” from the internet. According to Rybakina, Vukov just tries to help her bring out her emotions on the court.

The Kazakhstani tennis star also stated, that, unlike people who are making these comments, he has great knowledge about her as a person and as an athlete. So, according to her, those who know her very well will know that she would never accept a coach who didn’t respect her. Rybakina is currently working under the guidance of Yuri Schukin. However, even after providing so much backing to his coach, Stefano Vukov in the past what do you think forced Rybakina to take this bold decision?