Elena Rybakina reunites with former coach after splitting just four months ago
Elena Rybakina has announced that she will be working with Stefano Vukov again in 2025, despite parting ways just four months ago.
Rybakina had been coached by Vukov from 2019, with the Croatian helping her win eight WTA titles including Wimbledon back in 2022.
This enabled Rybakina to reach a career-high ranking of World No.3, but Vukov’s vocal coaching methods often received criticism.
After only playing two matches following reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals last year, Rybakina announced her split from Vukov at the US Open.
Rybakina then went onto announce Vukov’s replacement in November, confirming that she would be working with Novak Djokovic’s former coach Goran Ivanisevic.
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However, it now seems that both Ivanisevic and Vukov will be mentoring Rybakina during the 2025 season, after the 25-year-old released a statement on Instagram.
“Hello everyone, I am excited to announce that Stefano will be joining the team for the 2025 season,” said Rybakina. “Thank you for all the support and wishing you a great 2025.”
After a difficult second half to the 2024 season, Rybakina has began this season in fine form having helped Kazakhstan reach the United Cup semi-finals with three straight set singles victories.
Rybakina and Kazakhstan currently await the winner of the tie between Great Britain and Poland, with their semi-final taking place on Saturday 4th January in Sydney.
Inside the baseline…
This announcement from Elena Rybakina has certainly provoked a strong reaction from many across the tennis world, with Stefano Vukov certainly dividing opinion in recent years. Vukov has helped Rybakina to her greatest results on the WTA Tour, but at the same time can appear to have an unhealthy approach to his coaching during matches. It will also be interesting to see how the partnership works between two big characters in Vukov and Goran Ivanisevic, but they do have the Croatian link to bond over.
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