WTA CEO reveals Elena Rybakina’s mother requested coach Stefano Vukov to not make her cry in shocking letter after ban
Elena Rybakina's family and friends were worried about her relationship with Stefano Vukov and had convinced her to fire him.
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Stefano Vukov, Elena Rybakina (Image via WTA/X)
Elena Rybakina‘s coach Stefano Vukov is banned for one year after an investigation concluded that he breached the WTA Code of Conduct. The WTA chose not to divulge much about the investigation but reports have emerged over time about the details of WTA CEO Portia Archer‘s letter to Vukov.
According to The Athletic, Rybakina was subjected to mental abuse and became ill due to the coach. Her friends and family were concerned about her relationship with Vukov and somehow convinced her to part ways with him, which the Kazakh ace did, just before the 2024 US Open. Archer wrote in the letter that Rybakina’s mother Ekaterina Rybakina also emailed Vukov to leave her team and not make her daughter cry again.
Rybakina herself had asked her representatives to keep Vukov away from her but the Croatian coach would not leave her and was confident of convincing her to add him to her entourage again. At the US Open, Vukov had called Rybakina 100 times but was told by one of her representatives that she had asked for security to remove him from the hotel.
Rybakina repeatedly defended Vukov, denying that he had mistreated him, re-hiring him before the start of the new season. At that time, Goran Ivanisevic was in her team following his split with Novak Djokovic. Ivanisevic reportedly was blindsided by Rybakina’s decision to re-hire Vukov and quit her team soon after her Australian Open exit.
Portia Archer says Stefano Vukov’s contact with Elena Rybakina affected investigation
Stefano Vukov, while he was provisionally suspended, was barred from coaching Elena Rybakina and was not formally allowed to contact her. But he regularly talked to the 25-year-old and in doing so, Portia Archer stated, that he tried to influence Rybakina.
He was on the courtside of one of her matches at the World Tennis League Exhibition in Abu Dhabi (though he didn’t violate any rules as it’s not a WTA sanctioned event). He then flew to Melbourne during her Australian Open campaign in spite of being barred from Melbourne Park.
There is no doubt that you influenced, and continue to influence, the Player’s feelings around this investigation and its outcome.
Portia Archer wrote in the letter (via The Athletic)
During the investigation, Rybakina kept defending Vukov, and if the report is to be believed, she even considered boycotting tournaments. In her latest interview, she called out her WTA colleagues for not offering her any support.
World No.2 Iga Swiatek and World No.3 Coco Gauff have backed WTA’s decision, saying the organization has the right to protect their players. These three players are in Dubai for this year’s second WTA 1000 event and are searching for their first title of the season.
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Gouri Das
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