"What is he trying to do? He's totally wrong": Fans slam Elena Rybakina's controversial coach Stefano Vukov over actions at Ningbo Open

Cincinnati Open 2025 - Day 11 - Source: Getty
"What is he trying to do? He's totally wrong": Fans slam Elena Rybakina's controversial coach Stefano Vukov over actions at Ningbo Open - Source: Getty

Elena Rybakina has started practicing with coach Stefano Vukov for the Ningbo Open that will run from October 13 to 19, 2025, at Yinzhou Tennis Center in Ningbo, China. She is given the third seed in the tournament behind Russia's Mirra Andreeva and Italy's Jasmine Paolini.

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On Tuesday, an X account posted a video from Rybakina's practice session with Vukov. In the video, Vukov took it upon himself to teach Kazakhstan's tennis star, who was watching him smash forehands from behind.

"When we have a hyperactive coach 😬😂✌️" the post was captioned.
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Seeing this training session, several fans took a dig at Stefano Vukov, who returned to coaching in August as the WTA lifted his suspension for an alleged code of conduct violation.

"Elena watching Vukov play "tennis"," one fan added a meme.
"What is he trying to do!? He s totally wrong in his service moves!! Let Elena show you !!" one fan wrote.
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"He s showing how to not play tennis," one fan commented.

Netizens also took a dig at Vukov's personal achievements in tennis as they reacted to the video.

"This is why he never reached higher than 105 !! he was always bad!!" one fan posted.
"Vukov wouldn’t win a single game off me in a tennis match. Embarrassing for Elena," another fan commented.
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"He looks like he was just introduced to a racquet and a tennis ball. His highest ranking as a player was 1122 or something, he sucks. He should've never been near coaching let alone ruin an elite player. Abuser creep!" one fan wrote.

Vukov is a former Croatian tennis player. He started coaching Elena Rybakina in 2019 and was with her when she won the 2022 Wimbledon championship.

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Controversy related to Elena Rybakina's coach Stefano Vukov

Earlier in 2025, the WTA suspended Stefano Vukov following allegations of violating the tour's code of conduct. The WTA's investigation focused on Vukov's behavior towards Rybakina including alleged derogatory remarks and excessive physical and mental demands.

The suspension from WTA included a one-year coaching ban and required him to undergo training regarding coaching behavior. Though he was banned, Vukov continued to coach Rybakina away from official events.

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When he returned to coaching in August after the suspension was lifted, Rybakina was happy to see him back in the box. In late August, she said:

“It’s just nice to see him in the box. We obviously have good communication. We never had issue, so…”

After things didn't work out with the new coach, Goran Ivanisevic, it remains to be seen if Rybakina can get back to winning ways after reuniting with Vukov.

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Edited by Krutik Jain
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