Elena Rybakina’s game isn’t the only thing grabbing headlines lately. It’s her coaching camp that has all tongues wagging! The Kazakh star, who took an extended break after the US Open before returning at the WTA Finals, seems to have more drama off the court than on it. From whispers of discontent to outright speculation, fans and experts have been dissecting the chaos surrounding her coaching setup. And just when you thought the buzz might simmer down, WTA star Donna Vekic and her coach Pam Shriver decided to further stir the pot.
The Kazakh tennis sensation is currently mounting her campaign at the 2025 Australian Open and will be shortly be playing Iva Jovic in the second round. But more than her match, her coaching saga has sparked discussions yet again. Remember, Rybakina abruptly parted ways with her coach Stefano Vukov ahead of the US Open in 2024 and decided to continue her career with Novak Djokovic’s ex-coach Goran Ivanisevic. However, in a surprising move, she again joined forces with Vukov earlier this year, raising eyebrows. Now, Vekic and Shriver have dished out their opinion on the entire matter. Let’s just say, they do not align with Rybakina’s recent statements.
The Croatian tennis star engaged in an interaction with Bounces and shared her take on Rybakina’s coaching situation. “I feel bad for her,” Vekic said adding, “that she has to go through that. And really, she’s a great player. So hopefully she can find her joy, on court and off the court.” For the unversed, a major bombshell was dropped by Russian journalist, Sofya Tartakova during an interview. She claimed that the Kazakh star was in a distressing situation with her coach. She further alleged that her absence from the courts and poor health were a result of this stressful atmosphere created by him. And now, when Rybakina has joined forces with him yet again, the tennis community is not staying silent. Shriver too, echoed a similar opinion.
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The American veteran is currently in LA to help her family overcome the effects of the wildfires and has not traveled with her mentee Vekic to Melbourne. But she engaged in a telephone interview and opened up about the matter. “The most common denominator of stories from the current game that came to me was concerns about [Rybakina’s] situation. It came from many different directions. Many, many, many.” Notably, this is not the first time when Shriver has made such statements.
Rybakina defended her coach on multiple occasions sharing that she just “he never mistreated,” her. Continuing with the flow, she announced Vukov’s return to her team and Shriver was quick to respond. Taking to X, the American ex-pro shared, “It’s time for our entire sport to finally stand up to known abuse and cult-like manipulations of players. This is a very sad situation, and my prayers are with ER.” This was also retweeted by Vekic. But it did not go down well with Rybakina, who lashed out at Shriver in an interview before the Australian Open.
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Responding to Shriver’s comment, Rybakina said, “I get that one coach is Pam Shriver… I don’t know her personally. She never came to me. She never talked with me. I know her story. It’s sad, but it doesn’t mean other players are facing the same issues. She doesn’t know me. I don’t know her. I don’t think it’s fair to make any comments like that. Especially being an active coach, commentator, journalist, and so on.” Coach Vukov was handed a provisional suspension by the WTA ten days ago for allegedly breaching the code of conduct, and a disgruntled Rybakina made her opinion clear on the situation.
What did Elena Rybakina say about Stefanos Vukov?
Elena Rybakina and Stefano Vukov started working together in 2019. The duo reached great heights which included Rybakina’s maiden Grand Slam title at Wimbledon and her surge to a career-high ranking of No. 3 in June 2023. Hence, when the chaos over her partnership with Vukov erupted, Rybakina was quick to defend him.
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During a pre-tournament press conference, reporters asked Rybakina about Vukov’s role in her team amid concerns about his alleged, aggressive coaching style. The player stoically said, “First of all, with the whole situation I don’t want to speak much about what’s going to be next but definitely as I said before, I don’t agree with a lot of things.” Continuing further, she shared that she has never made any official complaints.
“What WTA do in the sense of my relationship with Stefan as I said before that I have never made any complaints or any of these things and I always said that he never mistreated me,” Rybakian added. Now, with Vekic and Shriver yet again sharing their take on the matter despite Elena Rybakina’s denial of any rift, it will be interesting to see if another storm is in the making on the WTA circuits.