By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday January 11, 2025
Elena Rybakina took questions from the press today and, of course, most of them were about her coaching situation. The world number 6, who shocked the tennis world by announcing that she will bring former coach Stefano Vukov back into her team despite hiring Goran Ivanisevic to coach her at the end of last year, provided some clarity for the fluid situation. but not much.
Rybakina, who will face Emerson Jones in her opening match in Melbourne, admitted the current situation is far from ideal. Vukov is currently under temporary suspension from the tournament and has not received Australian Open credentials.
Read more: Rybakina in Limbo as Vukov faces suspension from WTA Tour
“It’s definitely not the ideal situation,” she said. “Like I said, I’m not happy with the whole situation. Especially when some coaches still make some comments, and people who are not that close to the tennis world just see the comments and take them and make even more of a show out of it.
“I don’t think it’s fair. My goal here is to focus on the matches. That’s what I’m going to do.”
Rybakina clarified her current situation, saying that Ivanisevic would be with her in Melbourne and hinted that rumors that Ivanisevic was blindsided by news of Vukov joining the team were not true.
“We are here, we are working, yes he is,” she said, adding: “As I already said I will not talk about it anymore, as the situation is not clear from the WTA Tour.”
Rybakina labeled comments made by Pam Shriver about the nature of her relationship with Vukov as unfair and said she had never spoken to the American.
It’s a subject that’s near and dear to the legend’s heart. In 2023, Shriver spoke for the first time about an inappropriate relationship she had with her former trainer when she was just 17 years old.
“I don’t know him personally,” Rybakina said of Shriver. “She never came to me. She never spoke to me. I know her story. It’s sad, but it doesn’t mean that other players are facing the same problems. She doesn’t know me. I don’t know him. I don’t think it is right to make any such comment. Especially being an active coach, commentator, journalist and so on.”
