Former World No.3 Backs Elena Rybakina’s Partnership with Stefano Vukov Amid Scrutiny

Elena Rybakina earned over $5 million for going undefeated at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Former World No.3 Backs Elena Rybakina’s Partnership with Stefano Vukov Amid Scrutiny

Elena Rybakina, Stefano Vukov (Image via X/Jose Moron)

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Former World No.3 Elena Dementieva has strongly backed Elena Rybakina’s partnership with Stefano Vukov in the midst of criticism. Former tennis players and fans have pointed out on several occasions that the partnership that exists between Rybakina and her coach has sometimes been a complicated one.

Rybakina went undefeated at the WTA Finals last week and claimed the title after beating Aryna Sabalenka in straight sets. But as ever, when she wins a title, the spotlight shines on her coach, Vukov, who was banned from the sport in January this year amid an alleged abusive and toxic working relationship with Rybakina.

The former World No.3 had uncharacteristically missed a lot of tournaments last year and quit her partnership with Vukov at the US Open. With the partnership seeming to have ended, Rybakina hired Goran Ivanisevic, only for Vukov to suddenly return to her coaching team in January, which drew a lot of attention from the media.

The Croatian coach was banned shortly after that and she hired a stand-in coach, Davide Sanguinetti, for a short period, which lasted until Vukov’s return after winning his appeal. Vukov return, felt strange by fans, and drew criticism from them, but he helped the 26-year-old win the Ningbo Open and the WTA Finals in Riyadh.

After winning the title in Saudi Arabia, Rybakina decided not to pose with the WTA CEO Portia Archer during the post-ceremony celebration. That led to the conclusion that she did that because she felt hurt by the way the WTA had dealt with her coach. During an interview with First & Red, Dementieva revealed that Vukov had a role in making Rybakina a top player:

But what happened between them, we do not know—and I think it should stay between them. Elena opened up to Stefano as a tennis player. It was with him that she achieved her biggest and most important victories. They started working together when she was in the top 200—not when she was already a top-ten player. They went through a very difficult path together, both of them for the first time.

Rybakina last lost a match on tour at the Wuhan Open, where she fell to Sabalenka in straight sets. After that loss, she went on a winning streak that began from the Ningbo Open and is still continuing. The World No.5 will hope to continue with her excellent form next year, to win her second Grand Slam.

Elena Dementieva believes Aryna Sabalenka lost the WTA Finals due to fatigue

Aryna Sabalenka failed to win the WTA Finals for the first time in her career after losing to Elena Rybakina in the final. The World No.1 reached her second final at the tournament after losing her first in 2022 against Caroline Garcia. She failed to cause many problems for Rybakina on Saturday (November 8), losing for the sixth time to the Kazakhstani.

Aryna Sabalenka tried to fight back tears after WTA Finals defeat to Elena Rybakina
Aryna Sabalenka tried to fight back tears after WTA Finals defeat to Elena Rybakina (Image via X/The Tennis Letter, Aryna Sabalenka Archive)

During the aforementioned interview, Elena Dementieva revealed that the main reason behind Aryna Sabalenka’s loss was due to fatigue. She pointed out that after the Belarusian star won her semi-finals clash against Amanda Anisimova, she didn’t have enough time to rest before the final against Rybakina:

As you know, players don’t just finish after the match. There’s still the press conference, communication with journalists, warm-down, stretching, recovery procedures… and you still need to eat, calm down, and fall asleep — which is hard when you’re in such an overexcited state. It’s interesting even to think how late she actually managed to fall asleep, and how much rest she really got.

However, Sabalenka finished the year as World No.1 after winning four titles, including the US Open in September. She has reached three Grand Slam finals, the first time in a season, and then claimed two WTA 1000 titles. However, she failed to defend the Wuhan Open despite being the favorite.

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