By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday January 1, 2025
Elena Rybakina has added former coach Stefano Vukov to her coaching team -- again.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion announced the news on her Instagram. Rybakina, who ended a five-year partnership with Vukov last August, had recently hired Goran Ivanisevic as her head coach just prior to the end of the 2024 season.
Read More: Rybakina Hits Back at Criticism of Coach Stefano Vukov
Reportedly, Vukov will work as an assistant alongside Ivanisevic.
Rybakina and Vukov had incredible success together but not without some tumult. Vukov came under criticism at times for his fiery temperament and the manner in which he sometimes treated Rybakina during matches and practices. Hall of Famer Pam Shriver speculated that the pair's relationship was unhealthy, but Rybakina refuted those claims with a loyal defense of her coach.
Shriver called the news a “sad situation” when it was announced on X earlier on Thursday
Rybakina is off to a fast start in 2024. She has led Kazakhstan to the United Cup semifinals by winning all four of her matches.