Rennae Stubbs claims she and even someplayerswitnessed with their own eyes that coach Stefano Vukov probably wasn't treating Elena Rybakina the way he should have as the former doubles world No. 1 admits she was never a fan of him and was pleased to see the Kazakh getting rid of the Croatian.
Although it happened exactly a month ago, there is still a lot of talk regarding the 2022 Wimbledon champion firing her long-time coach just three days before the start of the US Open. What made it all even before baffling was the two arriving together in New York but then deciding to part ways.
The moment the news dropped, some instantly started throwing out certain theories and openly suspecting that the Croatian's behavior had to do something with Rybakina's decision.
Stubbs, who won five Grand Slam titles in doubles and worked with Serena Williams during the American's farewell at the 2022 US Open, definitely isn't ruling out that Vukov's behavior and attitude may have been the reason for his dismissal. Stunningly, the 53-year-old shared that even some WTA stars spoke about it.
"You guys know, if you have listened to our podcast, I had my feelings and my thoughts when it came to her coach. I thought he was not a good element. When Im playing a match, I dont want to see my coach gesturing, looking all pissed off up there. And theres been some coaches of late that Im like, 'Why do these players allow these coaches to look like this?' Because you need a positive influence around you when youre looking up there," the Australian legend said on the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.
"Now, off the court, in a way he might be the greatest guy in the world to her, I dont know. But when it comes to being her coach, I saw way too many things of him yelling at her in the gym, other players have said stuff to me. When she would win matches, he was giving her s---. This is what other people saw. There's 25 other people that could see the same thing I was seeing."
An insider says Rybakina's constant health issues are 'psychosomatic'
After making the move she made, the world No. 4 won her opening match at the US Open but then abruptly withdrew from her second-round match after a report came out claiming that Vukov was banned from the official WTA coaches list. Since then, the 25-year-old has also pulled out of Seoul, Beijing and Wuhan. While she hasn't made any official announcements, the WTA listed a back injury as the cause.
In the meantime, Russian tennis insider Sofya Tartakova made a bombshell claim, saying that the injuries and illnesses with which Rybakina has dealt with throughout 2024 are on a psychosomatic basis and that the heavy stress of working with Vukov was to blame.
"Many people do not understand the reason for such health problems. They said that she is having difficulties, back problems. This is the official reason. Then, that during this year she had problems with her stomach. But as people who did not work with her, but were involved in her professional career, say, she is now under a lot of stress and it is all psychosomatic. She is now in a completely disorganized state, she cannot play," Tartakova said during a conversation for YouTube channel Tennis Bolshei.
Russian tennis insider: Rybakina was dealing with pressure, insults, bad words...
When the Kazakh started working with Vukov in 2019, she was basically at the start of her career and trying to make a name for herself. And during her time with the Croatian coach, she was able to make two Grand Slam finals - win a Major at Wimbledon - reach a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world - and establish herself as one of the best in the game.
Because of their big success, Rybakina had a hard time pulling off the trigger and ditching Vukov and it were her parents who stood up and made the move, according to Tartakova.
"Elena Rybakina's parents stood up for her, because she could not break this vicious circle. On the one hand, this is the coach who worked with her since she was 17, and she herself, together with her family, chose him. On the other hand, it is clear that they were very close, she won the main achievements of her career thanks to their joint work, and her parents insisted that Lena change something in her tennis life, because there was pressure, and insults, and bad words said to her. They were constantly from Vukov's lips," the insider explained.
Meanwhile, it is unclear when Rybakina will return to action.
