“He has believed in me before anyone else did,” Elena Rybakina backs her coach, Stefano Vukov, after the rumors about his ‘Improper’ coaching at the Australian Open
Elena backs her coach amidst false rumors on his coaching in the Australian Open
Elena Rybakina
The Australian Open 2023 women’s singles runner-up, Elena Rybakina had finally broken the silence. Earlier today, she took to Instagram to state the ongoing rumors about her coach. After her latest defeat in the finals of the Australian Open, fans started blaming her coach, Stefano Vukov, for her loss.
However, she denied all those allegations and rumors about her coach and stood up for him. The 22nd seed, lost her first Australian Open finals yesterday to Aryna Sabalenka in three sets 6-4, 3-6, 4-6. She lost the match after winning the first set, which made her fans more vocal about her loss. Elena did put up a fight in the final and yet she lost the match and the title.
Fans felt that Elena didn’t play her natural game in the finals and didn’t stick to her strengths. Surprisingly, she was only able to hit nine aces as opposed to 17 aces from Aryna. In reply to everyone, Elena said “After a great AO, | have seen some disturbing comments on social media about the behavior of my coach Stefano Vukov. | want to clarify any misinterpretations. Stefano has believed in me for many years before anyone else did. We plotted a strategy together in how | could achieve great things and his method shows in my Grand Slam success so far. He is a passionate coach, with a lot of knowledge about tennis.”
She continued talking in favor of her coach and said “Unlike people that are making these comments, he has great knowledge about me as a person and as an athlete. Those who know me well will know that | would never accept a coach that didn’t respect me and all our hard work. | may be quiet on court and in general, but inside me is a competitive athlete that wants to achieve great things and Stefano has helped me greatly in this way. So please disregard any fake news to the contrary.”
Related: “It’s all still sinking in,” Aryna Sabalenka still in dreamland after her Australian Open win
Elena Rybakina couldn’t repeat the heroics of 2022 Wimbledon
It’s heartbreak for 23-year-old, Elena Rybakina as she fell one step short of her dream. She had an excellent Australian Open overall but couldn’t make that final step. Aryna outplayed her after losing the first set and the 22nd seed couldn’t recover. She had the most number of aces in the tournament in the women’s singles.
She had some big wins under her, names like Iga Swiatek, Jelena Ostapenko, and Victoria Azarenka. Many even went on to predict that she is going to win the match and the title. However, Aryna had other plans and successfully returned her powerful serves in the finals.
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Santhosh Tenneti
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