“She Has a Muddy Story” – After Thrashing Iga Swiatek Amid Her Miserable Phase, Russian Ex-pro Makes Elena Rybakina Her Next Target
Elena Rybakina is in no wonderland. Marred by a nasty coaching split and plagued by her dropped form, she’s going through quite a lot this season. Adding more fuel to the fire, experts made no bones about her ex-coach Stefano Vukov; citing the strained relationship between the duo. Now an ex-ATP pro has brutally criticized Vokov again.
After enjoying modest success in the season’s first half, Rybakina fell off the wagon. She withdrew from multiple events, including commitments at the Paris Olympics and the Asian hardcourt swing. Amid her absence and drop in performance, the Kazakh shocked fans by announcing her break up with Vukov as a coach. Confusing, right? A five-year partnership, wherein they finessed the tour with laudable results, ended for no good reason sounds funny. Until it wasn’t. The duo parted ways due to the Croatian coach’s rumored ill-treatment of Rybakina – ultimately forcing her parents to conclude their run before things got uglier. Yevgeny Kafelnikov was another one on the list to confirm that.
While talking to ‘Sport.pl,‘ the two-time Grand Slam champion explained that Vukov’s demeanor is worth the worry. Expanding on the subject further, the Russian sensation took shots at Rybakina’s ex-coach by claiming that he is on the outs with WTA’s coach panel, having lost his ticket to even spectate tour-level showdowns. “I do not know what is happening with Rybakina, but she has a muddy story related to her former coach. His attitude is unacceptable, he cannot take part in any WTA tournaments, even as a spectator. I do not know how long he was suspended.” Surprisingly, Kafelnikov has been grinding both coaches and players this year.
