Elena Rybakina claims it is not true that she and Stefano Vukov split on negative terms and also denied what was reported about their work relationship.
In late August, the Kazakh tennis star arrived in New York with her long-time Croatian coach but then decided to end their five-year collaboration just three days before the start of the US Open. A couple of days later, a report claimed that the Croatian was removed from the official list of WTA coaches and the world No. 5 also mysteriously withdrew from her second-round match at Flushing Meadows.
After it was confirmed that Rybakina would also miss the entire Asian swing, Russian tennis insider Sofya Tartakova claimed that the 25-year-old split with Vukov and took a break from tennis after dealing with “constant pressure, bad words and insults” and that she was in “a disorganized state” and unable to play.” Also, the insider said that the Kazakh’s frequent injuries and illnesses were on a psychosomatic basis and that her parents were the ones who stood up and decided to put an end to her partnership with the Croatian.
But when directly asked about it in her pre-tournament press conference at the WTA Finals, Rybakina insisted it wasn’t true: “Well, I know that a lot of I guess rumors going on. But honestly we just part…
