Elena Rybakina was seen as a formidable opponent who could challenge Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek in the 2024 season. However, things crashed way faster than anyone anticipated. After making a terrific start to the season by winning the Abu Dhabi Open and Stuttgart Open, while making it to the finals of the Qatar Open and Miami Open, the Kazakh faltered as she withdrew from nine tournaments, including the US Open and now the Korean Open, amidst the split-up with the coach. Tennis fans are worried about her as she strays away from the court to recover.

The hard court swing came with many surprises for Rybakina fans. She parted ways with her coach of 5 years, Stefano Vukov, with whom she claimed the Wimbledon Championships title just 3 days before the US Open championships. Moreover, the Kazakh withdrew from the US Open, despite getting past the R1, with no sign of injury. And now, another blow: she won’t be playing in Seoul. Tennis insider Jon Wertheim’s words quoted in Sports Illustrated may hint at the reasons for the split with the coach.

” It was an open tennis secret: Her longtime coach, Vukov, made a lot of people uncomfortable, including WTA personnel. (He would openly yell at her; they would sometimes squabble during matches; he got this tattoo.) .”- said Wertheim. But what led to the 9th withdrawal of the season fro the Kazakh?

This has left tennis fans guessing about her physical and mental health, as they take sly digs at her now ex-coach while gazing at Rybakina for a plausible reason for the same.

Tennis fans indulge in a guessing game while expressing concern about Elena Rybakina’s recent withdrawal

Things haven’t been easy for the Kazakh player. Despite being in the top 5 for the whole year, Rybakina has suffered from some illness or injury, which led to her withdrawal from many tournaments. However, her recent withdrawal has put fans on the edge because of the unspecified injury at the US Open, which followed her to another withdrawal. Her state has led tennis fans to consider this fact: “At this rate, she is destined to be a one-slam wonder.”

During her US Open withdrawal message, Rybakina said, “Unfortunately, I have to withdraw from my match today due to my injuries…I did not want to finish the last Grand Slam of the year this way, but I have to listen to my body, and I hope I can close out the remainder of the year strong.” However, a few days later, the Kazakh announced her new partnership with Lexus Kazakhstan as their ambassador. This enraged a few fans, and they resorted to some harsh words for the player.

Some fans thought that Elena Rybakina was yet to recover from COVID-19, which she contracted before the Paris Olympics. As the World No. 4 has struggled to get her form back. Another fan expressed their concern over her absence and recovery. As they said, “At this point, I’m convinced it’s Long Covid and nobody wants to talk about it. She hasn’t been the same since she caught it.”

However, many wondered whether her prolonged relationship with her coach and the recent split were the reasons for this. A lot could affect the player both mentally and physically. This tennis fan drew an analogy from the boss-employee relationship of their friend while relating it to Rybakina and her coach. They said, “One thought about Rybakina is that if the Vukov relationship was bad (whether professional or romantic) and stressing her out, it could have exacerbated whatever physical ailments she has. Maybe now that he’s out of her life, her health will be more manageable? I knew someone with an absolutely terrible boss. My friend started getting sick, particularly terrible migraines, and was going to all these specialists. She quit her job and the physical ailments were gone in 1-2 months.”

Rybakina’s constant struggles with her health and fitness have led to doubts in the minds of tennis fans. As they think that “Retirement is waving” for the Kazakh tennis player as she struggles to get back on the court. Though it may be premature to think of it, however, Elena Rybakina certainly needs to settle the air before it becomes the wind!