"The drama is never-ending" "Sabotage" - Fans frustrated as Elena Rybakina's ex-coach Stefano Vukov appeals against WTA ban
Elena Rybakina is back in the spotlight after her coach, Stefano Vukov, appealed a one-year ban from the WTA tour. Vukov was officially suspended in February this year for violating the tour's Code of Conduct.
Rybakina was last seen in action at the 2025 French Open. She started her campaign with hard-fought wins over Iva Jovic and Jelena Ostapenko in the initial rounds but came up short against Iga Swiatek in the fourth. The Pole beat her 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.
While Rybakina was praised for her solid performance in Paris, some fans were frustrated by the focus shifting to her coach, Stefano Vukov. After being suspended earlier this year, the Croat appealed his travel ban on Monday, June 2.
Here are some reactions from fans about this latest update.
One fan highlighted the effects of this situation:
"The side drama is never-ending, just too much baggage at this point. I hope she can break out of this dependency on him, even if they are in a relationship at least keep the tennis side of things professional."
Another fan felt gutted Rybakina couldn't catch a break:
"Just when she started looking good... Yeah this has to be sabotage."
One of the 'X' users took a sarcastic dig at Rybakina and Vukov:
"His suspension should definitely be cancelled. He should stay in the technical team box. Even if she gets eliminated early in every tournament and her ranking drops to 200, this guy should stay as a coach. Let her career be about making this guy shine. Very good career management."
Another user quoted:
"Can someone just arrest him? Make sure he is not part of her life."
One fan spoke about the situation affecting Rybakina's mentality:
"His influence is why she is a mental midget in those high-stakes matches. It’s why she can only win a weak WTA 500, can’t do it when faced with tension at the bigger tournaments, so she focuses on scamming the lower-level scraps. You can’t win Slams with weak mentality."
Another user shamelessly addressed rumours about their relationship.
"When is the wedding?"
Elena Rybakina was asked a controversial question about Stefano Vukov during the French Open
Elena Rybakina partnered with Stefano Vukov in 2019. The Croatian joined her as a full-time coach and also traveled with her on tour.
Recently, Rybakina was questioned about practicing with Vukov during the French Open. The Kazakh kept her calm and answered the controversial question.
"No, we usually practice together between tournaments, not during them," Elena Rybakina replied.
Rybakina has had a difficult season, amassing 26 wins from 36 matches on tour. She secured a title-winning run in Strasbourg and reached the semifinals in Abu Dhabi and the Dubai Tennis Championships, which were her best results on tour.