Elena Rybakina needed a new coach. After her long-term relationship with Stefano Vukov fell apart at the US Open, Vukov was let go and then taken off the approved coaches list for the WTA. Tennis fans still don’t know all the details of why Rybakina and Vukov split, but the news likely won’t be good.
Rybakina has had a frustrating year. She has withdrawn or retired from eleven different tournaments. She does not appear to have one certain physical injury, so some have wondered if her struggles are more mental and how she was treated by Vukov. He was certainly a bit too harsh and borderline abusive toward Rybakina when she was playing her matches.
With Vukov gone, Rybakina needed a new coach, of course, and she has recently turned to Lovro Zovko to help her, at least temporarily. The move is not permanent yet, but Zovko appears set to coach Rybakina at the WTA Finals in early November.
Elena Rybakina gets a new coach and Aryna Sabalenka needs Iga Swiatek
Rybakina knows Zovko as he holds a coaching role within the Kazakh Tennis Federation. This should help smooth the transition to a new full-time coach sometime in 2025.
