Elena Rybakina's former coach Stefano Vukov removed from WTA coaches list and banned from tour following Kazakh's US Open 2024 withdrawal: Reports

Elena Rybakina's former coach, Stefano Vukov, has reportedly been removed from the WTA coaches list and banned from the tour. This development came after the Kazakh withdrew from the 2024 US Open just before her second-round match.

Rybakina had competed at the 2024 Cincinnati Open before entering the New York Slam. She was seeded fourth at the WTA 1000 hard court tournament and began her campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. However, the World No. 4 had a short-lived campaign, as she lost to Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 6-7(3), 4-6 in her opening match.

At the 2024 US Open, Elena Rybakina was seeded fourth and began her campaign by defeating qualifier Destanee Aiava 6-1, 7-6(1) in the first round. However, she withdrew from the tournament due to injuries before her second-round match against qualifier Jessika Ponchet, who, as a result, advanced to the third round via walkover.

Following her withdrawal, tennis commentator and podcast host Craig Shapiro reported that Rybakina's former coach, Stefano Vukov, was removed from the official WTA coaches list. This action also allegedly indicates a ban on Vukov's tour.

"Right now, reliable sources telling me that Vukov has been removed from the official WTA coaches list, which signifies a ban," Shapiro posted on X (formerly Twitter).

“Something obviously going on, I don’t want to speculate" - Rennae Stubbs on Elena Rybakina's from US Open withdrawal

Elena Rybakina [Source: Getty]

Recently, while speaking to ESPN, former doubles World No.1 Rennae Stubbs shared her thoughts on Elena Rybakina's withdrawal from the 2024 US Open. Stubbs said that she will refrain from speculating but expressed that Rybakina's frequent withdrawals from tournaments this year indicate that something "more" is going on within the Kazakh's camp.

“There’s something obviously going on here. I don’t want to speculate. But this is a very unusual situation. 8 withdrawals this year… undisclosed injury now at US Open. I just think there’s something more going on here . This is not a normal situation," Stubbs said .

Stubbs went on to suggest that there may be more to Rybakina's situation than what has been publicly disclosed, describing the circumstances as both "sad" and "terrible."

"I’ve seen her for years on the tour. I know what she looks like when she’s happy, when she’s healthy, when she’s playing well. When she’s playing well, on this surface, she’s one of if not the best player in the world. So what’s going on with her, I think it’s a lot more than we realize. This is terrible . It’s sad ,” Stubbs added .

Last year, Elena Rybakina made it to the third round at the US Open before being defeated by 30th seed Sorana Cirstea in a hard-fought match that ended 3-6, 7-6(6), 4-6.