Elena Rybakina's precarious situation with Goran Ivanisevic & Stefano Vukov draws alarmed reaction from tennis insider

Elena Rybakina has made headlines a few times already in 2025, and it's not been for her tennis but rather for off-court issues. First, she shocked the world by announcing that her former coach, Stefano Vukov, is coming back to her team.

In a vacuum, it might not have been that shocking, but due to what happened in the months before, it surprised many people. She split with Vukov around the 2024 US Open, with the split appearing not as amicable as these things can be.

Even before that, there were rumors about the dynamic between Rybakina and Vukov being somewhat problematic, especially due to his alleged aggressive nature while coaching. Even without that, there was the minor detail that Rybakina already has a coach, and it's none other than Goran Ivanisevic.

While he's no stranger to working in teams with several coaches, as was the case when he coached Novak Djokovic, he likely assumed that he would be the sole coach for Rybakina. The rehiring of Vukov added a layer of complexity to her team, and then came the news of the WTA suspending Vukov due to an investigation that has been going on quietly for a while.

He won't be able to coach or accompany Rybakina until that is over, which is another complicating matter in a sequence of rather complicated matters. Ivanisevic has now broken his silence on the matter, sitting down with noted journalist Ben Rothenberg for his "Bounces" substack, where he confirmed that he'll stay on as coach for the time being but isn't sure what is going to happen long-term.

He also refused to comment on Vukov specifically, stating that he will be able to talk about that once the investigation is over. Tennis Insider Jose Morgado reacted to the whole thing similarly to how many fans reacted, noting that this complex situation isn't ideal for Rybakina, days ahead of the Australian Open, an event where she once stood in the final.

"This Elena Rybakina situation is... far from ideal. My lord," Jose Morgado on X.

Elena Rybakina hasn't spoken since the WTA officially suspended Vukov, though she will likely have to address it either before or during the Australian Open.

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Elena Rybakina's start to the 2025 season

While off the court, things haven't looked great for Elena Rybakina, she has done pretty well on the court so far.

She took part in the United Cup at the start of the season, helping Kazakhstan eliminate defending champion Germany along the way. She has played four matches so far, winning three of them.

Those wins were over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro from Spain, Maria Sakkari from Greece, and Laura Siegemund from Germany. The only loss she suffered was to Iga Swiatek in the semifinals, and it was a pretty close match: 7-6(5), 6-4.