“It has been an open secret that Vukov has been an aggressive coach”: Roddick and Wertheim discusses Elena Rybakina’s coaching drama

Andy Roddick shared his thoughts on the controversial return of Stefano Vukov to Elena Rybakina's team. The World No. 6 had split from the Croatian coach a few months ago, replacing him with Goran Ivanisevic, the former coach of Novak Djokovic.

According to reports, Rybakina's struggles in 2024 — including multiple withdrawals and injuries — were linked to a tough relationship with Vukov. Russian tennis journalist Sofya Tartakova stated last September: "All these difficulties that she faces, she faces because of a lot of very heavy pressure associated with her former coach Vukov."

"Rybakina's parents stood up for her because she could not break this vicious circle. On the other hand, it is clear that they (Rybakina and Vukov) were very close; she achieved the main milestones of her career thanks to their joint work, and her parents insisted that Lena change something in her tennis life, because there was pressure, insults, and bad words said to her. They were constantly from Vukov's lips," she added.

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“That’s what people were worried” – Andy Roddick

After hiring Ivanisevic, it seemed that the chapter with Vukov was closed, but a few days ago, Rybakina surprised everyone by announcing Vukov's return to her team, where he will work alongside Ivanisevic. Shortly after the news broke, the WTA confirmed that Vukov is under provisional suspension amid investigations into allegations of mistreatment against the Kazakh player.

At a United Cup press conference, Rybakina denied any abuse by the Croatian, but doubts remain. Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick commented on the situation during his podcast. "Many, many years, people kind of wondered if he would say things, the way he said things from the box was pretty aggressive. Now, we're not there, we don't know," Roddick explained. "I can't grandstand. I know what the reputation is, you know the stories you hear, but they broke up."

The 2003 US Open champion acknowledged the success they achieved together, noting that when Rybakina started working with Vukov, she was ranked outside the top 200, and he helped her become a Wimbledon champion. "This does not affect the progress they made, but can it be a relationship that's healthy at scale? I think that's what people were worried about. Is there damage being done? We don't know. What is the current state?"

"Because he was out, we all kind of were relieved when Goran (Ivanisevic) got brought in. We all thought that was a good move, and then she releases something and says, ‘Okay, he's back in with Goran on board.’ Does he know about it? Some people said he didn't."

“There had been an investigation based on this complaint” - John Wertheim

Tennis journalist John Wertheim joined the conversation, expressing concern about Vukov's relationship with Rybakina, a topic that had worried the WTA Tour for some time. "It was concerning to a number of people in the sport. Some people, like Pam Shriver, spring to mind as someone who's been very open and vocal about this."

"One reason this has not sort of migrated from rumor and tennis chatter to fact is because Elena Rybakina, the player in the subject, has denied and repudiated any idea that there's something wrong here, which has been a problem sort of throughout."

"It has been an open secret that this has been an aggressive coach. I've heard from other players; I mean, this is dating back multiple years," Wertheim added. "I had heard that at one point the WTA sometimes had planted employees in the stands to sort of get a glimpse of this relationship firsthand during matches."

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"I was told that Goran did not necessarily know this or the extent of it, and then, after that post, the WTA confirmed to The Athletic that Vukov was under a provisional suspension. There had been an investigation based on this complaint, and that he would not be allowed credentials or, in theory, on the grounds," he concluded.

For now, Rybakina is training for the Australian Open and was seen today at Melbourne Park practicing with Emma Raducanu under the watchful eye of Ivanisevic. It was also recently revealed that Vukov traveled to Melbourne to support Rybakina in person, although he will not be allowed in the player's box during the tournament.

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