New disturbing details of Elena Rybakina & ex-coach Stefano Vukov's relationship draw 2-word reaction from tennis insider

Tennis insider Jose Morgado dropped a two-word reaction as he was shocked to find out disturbing details about Elena Rybakina and her coach Stefano Vukov's dynamic. The coach has been banned from the tour following an internal investigation by WTA.

Vukov has been on the current World No. 7's coaching team since 2019 but called it quits in 2024. However, the latter kept mentally manipulating him and tried to highlight his importance in Rybakina's life around last year August, in an attempt to be rehired by her.

A recent article by The Athletic gave detailed insights about what went down behind the scenes of months of mental abuse by Vukov, which has left the tennis world stupefied. Morgado took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his disbelief after perusing the article.

"My god...," he wrote.

The Athletic also consulted with WTA chief executive Portia Archer and drew light on the remarks the coach made to Elena Rybakina including ridiculing her by calling her 'stupid' and 'retarded'. This led to the 25-year-old developing a sort of dependence on him, made to believe that she is incomplete without Vukov.

Archer cleared that Vukov has now been barred from coaching for one year, due to a violation of WTA's code of conduct. He has to produce an appeal to absolve himself of the allegations to the WTA by February 21, 2025.

Rybakina who is currently in Dubai, has also shared that she felt isolated after her coach's suspension on the tour. She was disheartened to not get enough support from peers during the tournament.

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Elena Rybakina demoralized after not getting support from fellow players after coach's suspension

Elena Rybakina at the Abu Dhabi Open - Source: Getty

Elena Rybakina spoke candidly about feeling isolated on her tour of the Middle East and not getting enough compassion from fellow mates. She emphasized being essentially alone amidst the entire Stefano Vukov fiasco and claimed that she has no 'close friends' due to the competitive nature of the sport

“No one offered any support. Honestly don't need. There is couple players I'm in touch more. But to say that I have very, very close friends on tour, it's I think not true just because we competing against each other. Everybody's surrounded by their teams," Rybakina said [via Tennis.com].

Even amidst such challenges, she managed to sail through the second round of the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships. She defeated opponent Moyuka Ujichima of Japan 6-3, 6-2, and is set to take on ninth-seeded Spaniard Paula Badosa in her Round of 16 matchup.