Elena Rybakina’s coach Stefano Vukov attracted a lot of criticism for being extremely animated with Elena during the match.
He retaliated after receiving criticism for his combative box coaching approach. During Rybakina’s semi-final match against Victoria Azarenka on Thursday night, Stefano Vukov was heard screaming at Rybakina during key moments of the broadcast.
At the Australian Open this year, coaching is permitted for the first time, and some players, like Vukov, have embraced the new regulations with a lot of passion.
Vukov was seen reprimanding Rybakina and telling her to think when she failed to serve out the first set at 5-3 and was down 0-40 at 5-5. The player and coach have been working together since 2019, including Rybakina’s historic victory at Wimbledon last year, but the offensive video on Thursday night has led some to demand that Rybakina end their relationship.
“It’s easy to just take clips and then make something controversial. This is part of our sport. It’s normal. There’s 10,000 people out there, to get the attention of the player is definitely not easy and people don’t understand that. I have to scream out something if she’s off track.
People can interpret that how they want, but at the end of the day, we’re just doing our job. Coaching is now allowed and she’s using it in the best possible way.”
Then he added: “There is moments we try to remind her, Hey, this is the moment to push. This is the moment to defend.
It’s normal. There are moments of the match the player doesn’t remember, for example, or in a pressure point, which side to defend more, where to serve more.”
Rybakina at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2023
Ranked world no.25, Elena has a compiled 7-2 win-loss record in 2023. Elena is participating at the Australian Open where she conquered the world no.48 Elisabetta Cocciaretto 7-5 6-3, the world no.104 Kaja Juvan 6-2 6-1, the world no.11 Danielle Rose Collins 6-2 5-7 6-2, the world no.1 Iga Swiatek 6-4 6-4, the world no.17 Jelena Ostapenko 6-2 6-4 and the world no.24 Victoria Azarenka 7-64 6-3.
Elena Rybakina will square off with the world no.5 Aryna Sabalenka in the final on Saturday at 7:30 pm on Rod Laver Arena. Their actual record is 3-0 for Sabalenka.
Rybakina is scheduled to play next in Abu Dhabi (Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open). She will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 6th of February.
Elena Rybakina |
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