Elena Rybakina has been spotted practicing with Stefano Vukov at a private tennis club ahead of the upcoming clay season, but while some fans are surprised, they aren't breaching any rules since the Croatian is only not allowed to accompany the Kazakh on official tournament sites.
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After the Australian Open finished, the WTA confirmed that the Vukov case investigation case was over. The WTA refused to publicly reveal its findings but a report from The Athletic quickly confirmed that the 37-year-old was found guilty of verbal abuse and that he was slapped with a one-year ban from coaching on the Tour - that includes being barred from sitting in a player's box, as well entering the locker room or practice courts during tournaments.
On Instagram, a 13-year-old United Arab Emirates junior player posted some photos taken during a practice session with Rybakina. On the third slide, Vukov can be seen. The photos were quickly noticed by fans and some instantly started wondering on social how that happened andif the WTA would react. However, since it looks to be a private club in the United Arab Emirates, no rules have been breached.
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Rybakina didn't approve the WTA ruling
The 2022 Wimbledon champion aired out her frustration with the WTA several times during the investigation, insisting that she was never verbally abused and that she should be allowed to decide who was going to coach her. The WTA still proceeded with their investigation and banned Vukov.
"Well, I'm just disappointed with the situation, and how the process went. I'm not going to comment much on that anymore," Rybakina said after the investigation concluded and her coach received a ban.
Since early February, the world No. 8 has been working with Dinara Safina's ex-coach Davide Sanguinetti, who confirmed that he has nothing against Vukov's presence.
