Elena Rybakina’s coach Stefano Vukov provisionally suspended by WTA

On the eve of the Australian Open 2025, a major conflict is intensifying at the top of women's tennis. The world number six, Elena Rybakina, wants to bring her former coach, Stefano Vukov, back onto her team, but it has come to note that Rybakina's former coach has been suspended by the WTA Tour under a confidential and private investigation for a breach of the tour's Code of Conduct during his tenure.

Vukov is barred from obtaining a WTA credential now, and Tennis Australia will not be issuing him accreditation for the first Grand Slam of 2025, slated to commence on January 12 in Melbourne.

On the flip side, Vukov has denied breaching the WTA's code, and the world number six, Elena Rybakina, has repeatedly stated that her coach has never been abusive. She further made those sentiments clear to the WTA tour.

However, the WTA launched the investigations last year after complaints were made about his conduct, labelling it as intense and at times harsh by others within the game. According to sources, the WTA tour is in the final stages of compiling its investigation into Vukov, which has been conducted by an independent organisation and could be released in the coming days.

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Mr. Vukov is not eligible to obtain a WTA credential at this time: Sources

Elena Rybakina’s former coach, Stefano Vukov, is currently suspended by the WTA.

A spokesperson for the WTA confirmed this:

“The WTA can confirm that Stefano Vukov is currently under a provisional suspension pending an independent investigation into a potential breach of the… pic.twitter.com/zYkqju3DOC

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) January 3, 2025

“The WTA can confirm that Stefano Vukov is currently under a provisional suspension pending an independent investigation into a potential breach of the WTA Code of Conduct,” a WTA spokesperson said in a statement.

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“As part of the provisional suspension, Mr. Vukov is not eligible to obtain a WTA credential at this time. While the WTA does not typically comment on active investigations, we believe it is necessary to clarify this matter due to recent public statements that misrepresent the situation. We will not provide further details at this point in time.”

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