"I thought Jelena Dokic's father would kill me" - Ex-WTA pro compares Elena Rybakina-Stefano Vukov controversy to disturbing abuse faced by Aussie

The ongoing controversy surrounding Elena Rybakina and coach Stefano Vukov was recently compared to the abuse Jelena Dokic suffered at the hands of her father. The comparison was made by Austrian former WTA No. 7 Barbara Schett.

On Tuesday, February 25, Kicker Austria released an in-depth interview with Schett, in which she was asked how she would deal with Rybakina's situation, had she been active today. In response, the 48-year-old brought up the traumatic experiences lived by Australian former WTA No. 4 Jelena Dokic due to her abusive father Damir, who was also her coach.

"The problem is that many players don't dare to say anything because they're afraid of personal consequences. For example, I was incredibly afraid of Jelena Dokic's father. I would probably never have said anything because I thought he would kill me," Schett said.

"It was perhaps a little different with Dokic than with Rybakina because she was also beaten, but in your mid-20s you may not yet know what is really going on," Schett added. (translated from German)

Schett went on to suggest that several of Elena Rybakina's colleagues have already communicated with the WTA with regard to the allegations of abuse against Vukov. However, the Austrian stated that it's important to maintain the "anonymity" of players, who have spoken with the WTA, so they have their safety.

"But I believe that a number of players have already spoken to the WTA about Rybakina and Vukov. It is important that anonymity is maintained because they are simply afraid," Schett concluded.

In 2017, Dokic laid bare the harrowing details of the verbal and physical abuse inflicted on her by her father and coach Damir. The Australian made the disturbing revelations in her autobiography, Unbreakable. By the time the autobiography was released, Dokic had called time on her professional tennis-playing career.

Earlier in the same interview with Kicker Austria, Schett opined that the WTA was right to ban Stefano Vukov.

"Stefano Vukov subjected Elena Rybakina to complete brainwashing" - Barbara Schett

Elena Rybakina (left) and Stefano Vukov (right) at a practice session during the 2023 Wimbledon Championships (Source: Getty)

Despite Stefano Vukov's undeniable contribution to Elena Rybakina's mercurial rise on the WTA Tour, including her title triumph at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, several high-profile names have raised alarms regarding his behavior with the Kazakh. Schett told Kicker Austria that Rybakina had been brainwashed by Vukov.

The Austrian also agreed with Vukov's indefinite suspension.

"In my opinion, he subjected Elena to complete brainwashing. You can see how he treats her and how he speaks to her. Things escalated at the 2024 US Open and the team and family tried to remove him. We know that she has major ups and downs mentally, probably because of him. He definitely abused her mentally and that's why I think it's right that he was banned from the WTA," Schett said.

Elena Rybakina though, has repeatedly insisted that Vukov has never subjected her to any mistreatment. Vukov has also defended himself in a brief exchange with The Athletic, claiming that he has no history of abuse.