Rumors are claiming that Rybakina’s ex-coach Vukov has been removed from the WTA coaches list.
There may be more to the sudden Elena Rybakina and Stefano Vukov split as rumors have been circulating among the tennis circles that the Kazakh’s ex-coach has been banned from the WTA Tour, according to tennis insider Craig Shapiro.
On Friday, the news of Rybakina and Vukov ending their five-year partnership just days before the US Open came as a shock to many as top players just don’t make such huge decisions while preparing to start a campaign at a Grand Slam tournament.
Four days later, the world No. 4 started her run at Flushing Meadows with a 6-1 7-6 (1) win over Destanee Aiava and everything seemed fine. But two days later, the 25-year-old abruptly pulled out of her second-round meeting against Jessika Ponchet, simply citing “injuries.”
Shortly after that news dropped, it was also reported that Vukov was apparently removed from the WTA coaches list – which indicates that he was probably slapped with a ban.
Rybakina has been pretty secretive about the entire situation
“Hello Everyone, After 5 years, Stefano and I are no longer working together. I thank him for his work on court and wish him all the best for the future. Thank you all for your support,” the 2022 Wimbledon champion announced on Friday.
After making it past her opening match at the US Open, the Kazakh was asked about her recent move – which wasn’t surprising at all. But she delivered a pretty short and blunt answer, making it clear she didn’t want to speak too much about it.
“Well, I don’t want to talk about it too much, but yeah, that was our decision, to split,” Rybakina said.
In the past, some were questioning Vukov’s behavior and calling for Rybakina to part ways with him. But the two-time Grand Slam finalist stood by his side and insisted that he was the right coach for her.
It will be interesting to see if there will be any significant updates regarding Rybakina or Vukov in the coming days.
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