Just days before the #USOpen begins, Elena Rybakina announces she has split with her longtime coach Stefano Vukov. One of the more discomfiting coach/player relationships in women’s tennis is no longer.
Elena Rybakina splits with long-time coach Stefano Vukov after five years
WTAFriday, 23 August 2024 at 12:20
Elena Rybakina has split from her long-time coach Stefano Vukov after five years as a partnership in an intriguing move just days before the US Open.
Rybakina hasn't been practicing this week with conjecture being that perhaps she was days away from withdrawal after recent illness issues. But it seems she has made the decision to part ways with Vukov instead.
Supposedly he wasn't seen at Cincinnati or of course the Olympics, so he hasn't actually coached her since Wimbledon. So this split may be a long time coming and she may have another iron in the fire to coach her at the US Open. Lovro Zovko might be considered the strongest candidate, as he previously assisted her at the 2024 Qatar Open and made a notable appearance at the 2024 Cincinnati Open in August. Time will tell but certainly Rybakina-Vukov has often been a relationship that has been widely criticised.
The duo whilst having all of Rybakina's success together has seen Vukov slammed for his aggressive and terrible body language as perceived by fans which has seen Rybakina have to come out in the past to defend him as a clash of personalities but one that works.
But their animated exchanges have often been the talk of Rybakina's matches and it will be intriguing what change she now makes whether she gets someone in a similar vein or one to mesh her style of being quite calm and reserved.
“Hello Everyone. After 5 years, Stefano and I are no longer working together," she wrote on Instagram.
"I thank him for his work on-court and wish him all the best for the future. Thank you all for your support.”
Intriguingly too Rybakina has not been present in practice at the US Open cancelling her practices. But she is due to hit with Qinwen Zheng tomorrow perhaps meaning that the fall out of this has seen her rethink her training schedule.
She has recently wrangled with illness including acute bronchitis. She missed the Olympic Games and Canada and seemed to be a doubt for the US Open. But she turned up at Cincinnati albeit losing early to Leylah Fernandez.
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