"Doesn't seem healthy" - Martina Navratilova on Elena Rybakina and Stefano Vukov's relationship

Martina Navratilova has weighed in on Elena Rybakina’s re-association with her coach Stefano Vukov at the Australian Open. She feels their relationship “does not seem healthy.”

Rybakina’s decision to bring Vukov back into her coaching unit ahead of the Melbourne Major raised eyebrows. She had parted ways with him last year and had since roped in Goran Ivanisevic as her new coach.

Surprisingly, she told a press conference last week that Vukov would join her coaching unit. Shortly after, the WTA released a statement via The Athletic that said Vukov was placed under provisional suspension.

Elena Rybakina has insisted on numerous occasions that she was “not mistreated” by Vukov. Navratilova said on the Tennis Channel the abuse was audible on TV.

“We know there's a lot of women that don't file complaints. That doesn't mean they were not abused. We had heard the abuse on TV. He was called out on that and he did tone it down quite a bit this last year. So if she's good with it, I guess we are too,” she said (1.40 onwards).

The WTA legend continued that while the situation was far from ideal, if Rybakina was okay with it then there was no need to speculate further.

“I just find it sad that you think this is normal. But it's normal for her perhaps and she can handle it, more power to her. It doesn't seem healthy, but here we are and I will not speculate any further than that. I just hope that she's making the right decision,” added Navratilova.

Elena Rybakina through to Australian Open 3R

Elena Rybakina celebrates at the 2025 Australian Open. Source: Getty

Away from the coaching saga, Rybakina has been in fine form on the courts in Melbourne. She began her Australian Open campaign with an emphatic 6-1, 6-1 win against Emerson Jones and followed that up with a dominating display against Iva Jovic in the second round.

The sixth-seeded Kazakh won 6-0, 6-3 to cruise into the third round, where she will face a tough challenge against Dayana Yastremska of Ukraine. Yastremska had reached the semifinal in Melbourne last year. The two have never played before and this will be their first match-up.

Elena Rybakina will look to go a step further than she did in 2023 when she lost in the Australian Open final to Aryna Sabalenka. However, tennis analyst and journalist Jon Wertheim opined that all the noise surrounding her association with Vukov might derail her campaign.

Rybakina, though, will look to tune out all the noise and play her best tennis on the court.