Elena Rybakina reveals if she wanted banned coach Stefano Vukov in box during Australian Open loss as Goran Ivanisevic uncertainty continues

Elena Rybakina had said that she would have ideally liked to have Stefano Vukov in her coaching box for the Australian Open 2025 but insisted that his absence did not affect her campaign. The Kazakhstani sixth seed lost in the fourth round of the Melbourne Major, as she went down fighting 3-6, 6-1, 3-6 to Madison Keys at the Margaret Court Arena on Monday, January 19.

Elena Rybakina had caused a stir ahead of the Australian Open when she announced that Vukov would be part of her coaching unit, along with Goran Ivanisevic, after parting ways with the former last year.

Soon after her announcement, the WTA announced that they were putting Vukov under provisional suspension, which meant he could not be seated in Rybakina’s coaching box during the tournament.

Speaking to the media after her loss to Keys, Rybakina said she preferred to have him in the coaching box.

“As I said before, this is not the situation I want to be in. Of course, I wanted to have who I wanted to have in the box, but I couldn't change it and at the end of the day I just tried to focus on my matches and I spoke with him (Vukov). I also have Goran, so it didn't affect the way I played today or any of the results,” Rybakina said about Vukov’s absence.

When asked if Ivanisevic would continue to be a part of her coaching contingent going forward, Elena Rybakina said they would take a call on that soon.

“Well, we still need to talk of course because as I said, we just tried the preseason and this couple of tournaments. It was something we were just getting used to each other, so we'll talk (and see) what the schedule is going to look like,” she added.

Elena Rybakina said she’s signed up for the Abu Dhabi Open, which will begin in the first week of February.

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Back injury troubles Elena Rybakina against Madison Keys

Elena Rybakina had not lost a single set in her opening matches at the Australian Open, so it was surprising when she dropped first first set against Madison Keys. However, the former Wimbledon champion regrouped well to make a surging comeback to win the second set 6-1.

Elena Rybakina with coach Stefano Vukov. Source: Getty

Having won her last two matches against the American, Rybakina backed herself to get the job done this time around too, but fell short in the end. The Kazakh later revealed that she had been struggling with a back injury.

“Yesterday, I did the full day of recovery and some treatments. It was better this match than the previous one. But now after the match is done, I still have some pain. So this is something I need to take time to rest, to heal, and then continue to work,” she said.

Rybakina has a challenging period ahead of her as she aims to regain full fitness and sort out her coaching team before she returns to the court at the Abu Dhabi Open next month.