Elena Rybakina opens up about why she felt the need to publicly defend her coach Stefano Vukov
Elena Rybakina's coach Stefano Vukov was subjected to criticism from fans for his animated approach while talking to the Kazakhstani player during the 2023 Australian Open.
Many alleged that Vukov did not respect Rybakina and stated that the player deserved a better coach. This prompted her to make a public statement defending her coach and assuring the fans that she would never accept someone that disrespected her.
In a conversation with Eurosport, Rybakina stated that she was surprised by people's comments about Vukov without understanding the truth, which is why she felt it necessary to speak up.
“A few people made some comments; they don’t know me at all, and they don’t know my team, which I was really surprised by because if there are any problems, you can always come and talk with me directly. But people decided to post it on the internet so I kind of showed the reality, that everything is fine and everybody needs to stay in their places and not mix up,” she said.
The Australian Open runner-up reflected on how the internet gave people the power to make statements that create a mess.
"Unfortunately, the internet is a big thing and someone can make a comment without thinking and then people just pick it up and make a mess," the World No. 10 added.
"When we work on the court, I respect him a lot" - Elena Rybakina on Stefano Vukov
Elena Rybakina conveyed that she has nothing but respect for her coach Stefano Vukov, revealing that he has helped her become better over the last four years.
“He helps me a lot. We have open dialogues, and we’ve worked already for four years. Sometimes I have bad days but people might not see it. And of course, when we work on the court I respect him a lot, I’m trying to listen and get all the information I can,” she expressed.
The 23-year-old stated that Vukov gives her some much-needed energy whenever needed during her matches.
"Even if I look calm, of course, I always talk with my coach, it’s just not the moment, of course during a match I will just listen. Sometimes I really need energy because I’m quite calm and I can be so much thinking about myself, and focusing on myself during the match, so I need something quick to understand what’s happening around," she said.
After her impressive campaign at the Melbourne Major, Elena Rybakina will next compete in the Abu Dhabi Open on Thursday (February 9), where she will face Karolina Pliskova in the first round.