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Elena Rybakina has announced that she has split with long-term coach Stefano Vukov just days before the US Open gets underway.
The world No 4 wrote on social media that the pair were “no longer working together”, ending her five-year partnership with the Croatian.
Rybakina and Vukov first started working together back in 2019 shortly after she broke into the top 200 of the WTA Rankings for the first time.
The ensuing half-decade saw the 25-year-old scale some of the greatest heights in tennis, most notably capturing the Wimbledon title in 2022.
She also reached the Australian Open final in 2023, winning eight WTA titles – including three this year – and reaching a career-high ranking of world No 3 last season.
In her Instagram story, Rybakina said she would like to “thank” 37-year-old Vukov for their work together.
She wrote: “Hello everyone, after 5 years Stefano and I are no longer working together.
“I thank him for his work on-court and wish him all the best for the future. Thank you all for the support.”
Rybakina and Vukov had one of the longest-standing player-coach partnerships within the women’s game and one of the most successful.
However, at points, their partnership was under scrutiny.
Criticism of Vukov reached its highest in Melbourne in 2023 when Rybakina reached her second Grand Slam final in the space of three majors.
Arguably the leading critic was tennis great Pam Shriver, who expressed a wish that the Kazakh found a coach who treated her with “respect”.
She posted: “As I watch Rybakina try to win her second major in 7 months, I hope she finds a coach who speaks and treats her with respect at ALL times and does not ever accept anything less.”
However, Rybkina defended Vukov staunchly, writing: “Unlike people that are making these comments he has great knowledge about me as a player and an athlete.
“I would never accept a coach that didn’t respect me. Please disregard any fake news to the contrary.”
All eyes will now be on how Rybakina fares at the US Open after a disrupted build-up to the fourth and final major of the season.
The world No 4 was forced to pull out of the Olympic Games and the Canadian Open due to bronchitis, and then suffered a three-set loss to Leylah Fernandez at the Cincinnati Open, spurning two match points.
Rybakina has won three titles in 2024 but none since Stuttgart back in April, and will hope to make it to the second week of Flushing Meadows for the first time, with round three her best result in New York.
She reached that stage a year ago, beaten by Sorana Cirstea.
The Kazakh begins her campaign against Australian qualifier Destanee Aiava.
