What is going on with Elena Rybakina? This is the question that many tennis fans have been asking themselves in recent weeks. The world number four from Kazakhstan withdrew from the US Open after just one match. Since then, she has also canceled two other tournaments. Her last tournament victory was in April. Shortly before the US Open, she also parted ways with her long-time coach Stefano Vukov, with whom she had worked since 2019 and climbed to the top of the world.
At the time, Rybakina did not reveal the exact reasons for the split. Now Russian journalist Sofya Tartakova is shedding some light on the matter. According to the insider, the Croatian’s training methods caused recurring physical injuries and psychological problems for Rybakina.
separation after the US Open
“All these difficulties that she is currently facing are due to the great pressure that her former coach Vukov put on her,” Tartakova explained in a talk on the YouTube channel “Tennis Bolshei”. Vukov was still there at the US Open in New York and wanted to continue working with Rybakina.
The 25-year-old then decided not to continue the collaboration. The reason for this was the psychological terror that Rybakina was subjected to by Vukov. “There was a lot of pressure, insults and nasty words that Vukov said to her,” explained Tartakova. Recently, rumors have been circulating that the 37-year-old had been banned by the WTA. However, there has not yet been any confirmation of this.
Rybakina’s parents intervened
Rybakina has had to deal with health problems repeatedly this season. Sometimes it was stomach problems, sometimes her back hurt. According to Tartakova, Rybakina’s current complaints are all psychosomatic and can be traced back to the great stress that her former coach is said to have caused.
He really ‘devoured’ her,” explains the tennis insider about the relationship between Vukov and Rybakina. The parents of the former Wimbledon champion intervened and insisted on the separation. Rybakina herself was unable to break the “vicious circle”. This was also because she was very close to Vukov and celebrated the most important successes of her career with him. Now Rybakina is trying to get her mental problems under control again and will soon return to the tennis court
