Martina Navratilova makes her feelings clear on Elena Rybakina's 'worrying' reunion with banned coach Stefano Vukov amid Goran Ivanisevic split

Martina Navratilova recently gave her thoughts on Elena Rybakina and Goran Ivanisevic ending their partnership after her 2025 Australian Open campaign ended this week. The American legend was seemingly let down by the Croat's decision to stop working as the Kazakh's coach, as it meant that she would now work primarily with Stefano Vukov — who was her main coach in 2018-24 and was reinstated in her team earlier in January.

Rybakina had started her 2025 WTA Tour season on a fine note at the United Cup, winning three of her four singles fixtures to guide Team Kazakhstan to the semifinals. The World No. 7 had carried the same vein of form into Melbourne as she got through her first three matches relatively unscathed.

Unfortunately, the 25-year-old fell in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Monday (January 20), falling to 19th-seeded Madison Keys by a scoreline of 3-6, 6-1, 3-6. More bad news was in store for her the following day, though, when Goran Ivanisevic, who she had hired as coach last November, took to social media to announce that the pair had parted ways.

Against that background, Martina Navratilova expressed her views on the subject while speaking to Tennis Channel on Tuesday. The 68-year-old insisted that she was worried about Elena Rybakina, as not too long ago there was speculation surrounding abuse from her former coach, Vukov.

"It's really worrying because I think most of us were cheering when that old coach wasn't around anymore because he was abusive towards her. Did get better last year but still, it was not a healthy-looking relationship," Martina Navratilova said about Elena Rybakina-Stefano Vukov. "But for some reason, she thinks that's the one for her, and we wish her luck because she is such a fun player to watch when she's flowing on the court but it's hard to flow when off-court there's this much tension and controversy."

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Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim on Elena Rybakina's coaching controversy: "Goran Ivanisevic was blindsided that the former coach was brought back"

Elena Rybakina crashed out of Australian Open 2025 in fourth round (Source: Getty)

During the same interaction, tennis insider Jon Wertheim also gave his thoughts on Goran Ivanisevic parting ways with Elena Rybakina. The American attributed the 2001 Wimbledon champion's decision to leave to the Kazakh rehiring Stefano Vukov a couple of months after she had started working with the Croat.

"We've seen coaches and players part ways before. That's a pretty frosty and business-like response from Goran that doesn't convey great warmth and affection. It's obviously a complicated situation," Jon Wertheim told Tennis Channel (from 1:00 onwards). "Goran [was] basically blindsided that the former coach was brought back into the fold. And not a surprise that Goran left."

Vukov, meanwhile, is currently provisionally banned by WTA over a breach of its Code of Conduct, which didn't allow him to support his ward Rybakina from her players' box in Melbourne this fortnight.