Rybakina says “enough”. Strong response from the Australian Open finalist

Yelena Rybakina is one of the best tennis players of the last six months. The Russian player representing the colors of Kazakhstan, although she is only tenth in the WTA ranking, managed to win Wimbledon in July and advance to the final of the Australian Open in January. One of the architects of her success is coach Stefano Vukov, whose behavior during the match with Aryna Sabalenka (WTA 2) caused quite a storm.

Shouting and disrespect

One of the first people to speak out about Vukov’s aggressive coaching was tennis legend Pam Shriver. The American made a meaningful entry in social media, criticizing the coach Jelena Rybakina, during the final match against Aryna Sabalenko.

“Watching Rybakina fight for her second Grand Slam title in seven months, I can only hope that in the future she finds a coach who speaks to her and treats her with due respect in every situation.

He believed years ago

It didn’t take long for the player to respond. The day after the final meeting, the representative of Kazakhstan took the floor on Instagram, where she defended her coach, emphasizing his contribution to recent successes.

“After the Australian Open ended, I saw a lot of posts on social media attacking my longtime coach. I’d like to explain the whole situation. Stefano believed in me years ago when no one else did. Together we reached the top, setting a common strategy, which already brought results at Wimbledon. Vukov is a passionate coach with a vast knowledge of tennis. Unlike those who slander him, he is the one who knows the most about me as a person and realizes that I would never work with someone who does not show respect for me and our work together. I may be quiet in everyday life and on the court, but inside my body there is a combative athlete who wants to succeed and Stefano helped him a lot. So please stop spreading fake news about my coach – wrote Rybakina.

After advancing to the final of the Australian Open, the 23-year-old player moved up to 10th place in the WTA ranking. To surpass the next rivals, such as Belinda Bencic, Daria Kasatkina or Maria Sakkari, the representative of Kazakhstan will have to score a few more very good performances in major tournaments, such as upcoming Masters in Indian Wells.