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Elena Rybakina was seen training with her coach Goran Ivanisevic and the rest of her team after controversially bringing her ex-coach Stefano Vukov back to her team. The news has sent shockwaves across the tennis fraternity.
Rybakina split with her ex-coach Vukov ahead of the 2024 US Open, a partnership marred with controversy as many criticized the latter's behaviour during matches. However, the Kazakh athlete always maintained that their partnership came to an amicable end and she harbored no ill feelings towards her former coach.
In a shocking turn of events, Rybakina recently announced in her Instagram stories that she had rehired Stefano Vukov.
"Hello everyone, I am excited to announce that Stefano will be joining the team for the 2025 season. Thank you all for the support And wishing you a great 2025," Rybakina wrote on Instagram.
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This news has sparked a plethora of controversies with many surprised by the decision. The situation went from bad to worse when the WTA confirmed that the Croat coach was currently under provisional suspension due to a potential breach of the WTA Code of Conduct.
Amid all this controversy, Rybakina is continuing her scintillating run at the United Cup, where she has led her country Kazakhstan into the semifinals. She was recently seen enjoying her training sessions with her new coach Goran Ivanisevic and the rest of her team. She has yet to comment on Vukov's suspension.
"Why would you go back to an old coach" - CoCo Vandeweghe and Pam Shriver questioned Elena Rybakina's move to rehire Stefano Vukov
During her appearance on the Tennis Channel Live Podcast, CoCo Vandeweghe questioned Elena Rybakina's decision and tried to figure out why the Kazakh superstar decided to bring her old coach back despite the controversies surrounding him.
"As we saw, it wasn't the healthiest of relationships when they did split so I'm kinda putting a question mark out here of why when you signed on Goran so why would you go back to the old. You're here for a new voice and a different kinda perspective," she said.
"So why would you go back to an old coach. Maybe it wasn't the healthiest but only Elena Rybakina knows. Her own reasoning, her own motivation so you gotta just trust her decision making," she added.
On the other hand, former American tennis player Pam Shriver claimed:
"It’s time for our entire sport to finally stand up to known abuse and cult like manipulations of players. This is a very sad situation and my prayers are with ER," Shriver wrote.
Rybakina will face Iga Swiatek during the semifinal tie between Kazakhstan and Poland at the 2025 United Cup. The Kazakh has yet to lose a single match at the event.
