On New Year’s Day, Elena Rybakina announced that she would be reuniting with her former coach Stefano Vukov. A day later, it has been revealed that Vukov is under a provisional suspension from the WTA Tour that will ban him from receiving a credential at this year's Australian Open.
The news, reported by the Athletic, comes on the heels of Rybakina’s bombshell decision to bring Vukov back into the fold, after parting ways with him last August after a five-year partnership that yielded a Wimbledon title in 2022. Making the drama even stickier is the fact that Rybakina’s new coach, Goran Ivanisevic, was reportedly blindsided by the news.
“The WTA can confirm that Stefano Vukov is currently under a provisional suspension pending an independent investigation into a potential breach of the WTA Code of Conduct,” a WTA spokesperson said in a statement, according to the Athletic.
“As part of the provisional suspension, Mr. Vukov is not eligible to obtain a WTA credential at this time. While the WTA does not typically comment on active investigations, we believe it is necessary to clarify this matter due to recent public statements that misrepresent the situation. We will not provide further details at this point in time.”
According to the Athletic, the WTA is in the final days of completing its investigation into breaches of the code of conduct. Its findings, sped up by Rybakina’s decision to hire Vukov, could be released in the coming days.
At this moment it isn’t clear who will be coaching Rybakina in Australia, or how the matter will play out in the weeks and months to come.
Vukov has faced criticism for his treatment of Rybakina, notably from Pam Shriver, who called him out for conducting their relationship in an unhealthy matter.
“I hope she finds a coach who speaks and treats her with respect at ALL times and does not ever accept anything less,” said former tour great Shriver, who currently works as a consultant in Donna Vekic’s team, on X last year.
She reacted to news of Rybakina re-hiring Vukov by calling it a “sad situation.”
Rybakina, meanwhile, has maintained that Vukov has done nothing wrong. She vehemently defended him, saying: “Those who know me well, will know that I would never accept a coach that didn’t respect me and all our hard work.”
She called rumors of his abusive behavior “fake news.”