By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Photo: Corleve/Mark Peterson
A high-profile reunion will spark a simultaneous breakup, ESPN analyst Rennae Stubbs predicts
last week, Elena Rybakina announced her plan to reunite with her former coach Stefano Vukov as an assistant coach to her new coach, Goran Ivanishević.
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In a Zoom call with the media today to promote ESPN’s Australian Open coverage starting Sunday, Stubbs said Tennis Now if Vukov, who is serving a WTA suspension that will deny him an Australian Open credential, does indeed return, then coach Goran is likely to walk.
“I think Goran, also being on the women’s side (is interesting), and he now has to deal with this Rybakina situation,” Stubbs said. Tennis Now. “With the old coach (coming back). So I don’t know how long Goran will stay if this situation happens.
“You know I’m hearing rumblings and I doubt (Goran) will stick around if that’s the case. So we’ll see what happens there.”
ESPN’s exclusive Australian Open coverage begins in the US on Saturday, January 11, with the First Round broadcast live at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN+ and presented at 10:00 PM ET on ESPN2, two hours earlier than in 2024 .
Daily presentations will be available on ESPN2, with encore quarterfinal presentations expanded to four hours per day.
After Rybakina’s announcement of Vukov’s return, Athletics broke the news that Vukov is serving a temporary suspension that prevents him from obtaining a coaching credential for this month’s Australian Open.
Several coaches and commentators, including Pam Shriver and Stubbs, have criticized Vukov for his treatment of Rybakina.
World No. 6 Rybakina said Vukov has not mistreated her and reiterated that she is not happy to see critical comments from other coaches.
“Of course I’m not really happy with the situation. I’m not happy with the comments I see, especially from people who are on tour,” Rybakina told media at the United Cup in Sydney. “They are active trainers, commentators, I don’t think it’s right.
“Yeah, but the only thing I can say is he’s never mistreated me. I have respect for him for everything he’s done since the beginning when I was 200 all the way we’ve been, like, I don’t know. I can name me other coaches who had the same success with players who have been 200 years old and then won the Grand Slam and are at the top.
