Tennis legend once demanded coaches to stop being intimate with players, statement makes sense amid Elena Rybakina and Stefano Vukov’s shocker
Tennis legend Prim Shriver had warned about the dangers of female tennis players having intimate relationships with male coaches.
Follow Us
Elena Rybakina and Stefano Vukov, (in circle) Pam Shriver (va Reuters/New York Post)
Hours after shocking details between Elena Rybakina and her ex-coach Stefano Vukov emerged, tennis legend Pam Shriver’s warning about female players having intimate relationships with male coaches has come to the limelight.
Former doubles World No. 1 Shriver had an amazing career. She won a total of 22 Majors, 21 in the women’s doubles and one in the mixed doubles. Last year, Shriver revealed that she had an intimate relationship with her coach, Don Candy, when she was a teenager.
Shriver added that it was unhealthy and warned that female players must be safeguarded from the possibility of being exploited by male coaches. Her confession was a result of several inappropriate relationships on the women’s circuit between players and coaches. In 2022, Petra Kvitova got engaged to her coach, Jiri Vanek, while Veronika Kudermetova is married to coach Sergei Demekhine.
During an interview, Shriver urged tennis governing bodies to be active in making sure that inappropriate relationships between female players and coaches do not exist, as that can have an effect on players’ performance on the court.
Having seen so many generations of women players struggle with the same thing, I really want women players to have more agency over the separation of their personal life from their professional life. There has been such an acceptance that this happens. That has to switch to ‘no, it can’t happen.Pam Shriver said (via New York Post)
Going by the history of the sport, it is not new for female players to have a relationship with their coaches. However, Shriver pointed out that such relationships are never meant to happen in the first players and would affect players and their careers.
Shocking confessions about Elena Rybakina and coach Stefano Vukov relationship
Elena Rybakina has become the latest player to be reminded of Pam Shriver’s warning. The Kazakhstan player unexpectedly withdrew from the US Open after reaching the second round and has withdrawn from the Asian swing as well. While speculations around a likely injury made the rounds, shocking details between her and her ex-coach, Stefano Vukov, have emerged.
Russian journalist Sofia Tartakova claimed that the reason for Rybakina’s absences and withdrawal from events is as a result of Vukov’s constant use of bad words at World No. 4, which has caused her some psychological damage.
It is clear that they were very close, she won the main achievements of her career thanks to their joint work, [but] her parents insisted that Lena change something in her tennis life, because there was pressure, and insults, and bad words said to her. They were constantly from Vukov’s lips. And now Elena Rybakina is suffering and trying to get rid of psychological problems, so the situation is, of course, very difficult for her.Sofya Tartakova said about Elena Rybakina’s problems with her coach
C'è un'intervista di Tartakova su YT in cui lei parla di Rybakina. Lei sostiene che Elena soffre di una grave forma di stress, al punto da avere problemi fisici. Questo forte malessere sarebbe da collegarsi alla separazione da Vukov. Qui il link https://t.co/VUYr3f8zft
— matt_gipposi (@matteogipposi) September 23, 2024
Rybakina’s recovery from the psychological abuse by her former coach may take longer than expected because of her close relationship with him. However, the WTA seems to have taken action against Vukov, as he has been removed from the WTA’s list of coaches, which indicates that he might be banned from the women’s tour.
Stay Updated!
Victor Okechukwu
(719 Articles Published)