In the last, Elena Rybakina won Wimbledon and lost the Australian Open final thanks also to the crucial help of her coach Stefano Vukic. Stefano is a dedicated professional coach who is quite passionate about his job. He was seen more than once as being very animated during Elena’s matches, and he was slammed on social media and by some tennis personalities for his behavior.
Former professional player and tennis pundit Pam Shiver took a rather harsh dig at Rybakina’s coach, saying he is not respecting her. Well-known coach Dmitry Tursunov, who is also mentoring Belinda Bencic, didn’t appreciate that.
Elena Rybakina took to social media, also taking the side of her coach, with the following message:
“After a great AO, I have seen some disturbing comments on social media about the behaviour of my coach Stefano Vukov. I want to clarify any misinterpretations. Stefano has believed in me for many years, before anyone else did.
We plotted a strategy together in how I could achieve great things and his method shows in my Grand Slam success so far. He is a passionate coach, with a lot of knowledge about tennis. Unlike people that are making these comments, he has great knowledge about me as a person and as an athlete.
Those who know me well, will know that I would never accept a coach that didn’t respect me and all our hard work. I may be quiet on court and in general, but inside me is a competitive athlete that wants to achieve great things and Stefano has helped me greatly in this way. So please disregard any fake news to the contrary.”
3. have someone like that in their corner. The man is loyal to his player with every atom of his body and soul. It’s a shame you have proved time and time again that you are blind to see anything than bunch of gestures.
— Dmitry Tursunov (@TursunovTales) January 28, 2023
Elena Rybakina in 2023
At the moment ranked no.25, Elena played her last match on the 28th of January when she lost to world no.5 Aryna Sabalenka 4-6 6-3 6-4 in the final of the Australian Open (draw).
This year Elena achieved an overall 7-3 match record. Elena Rybakina’s latest run at the Australian Open was the best achievement of her season.
Rybakina will compete 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 |
| Embed from Getty Images |
