Elena Rybakina's coach Stefano Vukov tattooing her name on his arm as part of Wimbledon bet makes him "uncomfortable", says tennis journalist
Tennis journalist Ben Rothenberg has expressed awkwardness as far as Elena Rybakina's coach Stefano Vukov getting a tattoo of her name on his arm is concerned.
Vukov's behavior with the Kazakh player has been a topic of serious debate over the last few days, particularly after he was seen shouting at her during the semifinals and finals of the 2023 Australian Open. The two have been working together since 2019, with Rybakina winning her first Grand Slam title (2022 Wimbledon) under his watch.
However, quite a few fans and experts, including Pam Shriver and Marion Bartoli, have urged the 23-year-old player to get rid of Vukov and hire someone who would treat her respectfully.
Speaking on the No Challenges Remaining podcast, Rothenberg dubbed the entire situation "uncomfortable and messy," especially due to the fact that her coach has tattooed Elena Rybakina's name on her arm.
"It's possible that Rybakina may feel one way now and look back on it a certain way later in life in terms of what this relationship meant to her. But it's tough. It's a tricky situation and an age-old problem in tennis that way," Rothenberg said.
"He [Vukov] has her name tattooed on his arm, which just makes me uncomfortable. That's not normal. You don't put your boss' name on your arm. It's all tricky and uncomfortable and messy. I'm not surprised that there is pushback to this," he added.
During the 2020 Qatar Open, Vukov offered a playful bet to Elena Rybakina that he would get a tattoo of her name if she won the Wimbledon Championships. Although she forgot about the bet, Vukov tattooed her name and the date of the 2022 Wimbledon final on his right arm with permanent ink.
Elena Rybakina defends her coach amidst controversy
After losing to Aryna Sabalenka in the title clash at the 2023 Australian Open, Elena Rybakina broke into the top ten of the WTA rankings for the first time in her career. Seeing her coach Stefano Vukov receiving criticism from the tennis world, the 23-year-old Kazakh decided to respond.
She took to social media and requested everyone to refrain from commenting on the way Vukov was behaving. Rybakina credited her Grand Slam success to him and added that Vukov knew her better than those criticizing him.
"Stefano has believed in me for many years before anyone else did," Elena Rybakina wrote. "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. Unlike people that are making these comments, he has great knowledge about me as a person and as an athlete."
"Those who know me well will know that I would never accept a coach that didn’t respect me and all our hard work. So please disregard any fake news to the contrary," she added.