Stefano Vukov has been on the sidelines for the last few years as one of the most visible and vocal coaches on the WTA Tour. With his fiery personality and candid criticism, he’s played a key role in shaping Elena Rybakina’s growth from rising star to Grand Slam champion.

That alliance is now at risk. In February 2025, the WTA imposed a one-year suspension on Vukov after several accusations of mental abuse. The probe focused on his actions during competition and training, where a number of witnesses indicated a consistent pattern of intimidation, yelling, and derogatory language aimed at Rybakina.

The ban immediately removed him from the tour. It also reopened conversations about the line between tough coaching and emotional harm – especially in high-performance environments like professional tennis.

Background on Stefano Vukov

Before his days in the spotlight as Rybakina’s coach, Vukov’s name was little recognized on the sport’s largest platform. He had an understated playing career, which was followed by assistant coaching roles that took place in the background. That all changed in 2019 when he joined forces with Rybakina, then an emerging but fairly unproven player on the WTA tour.

Their partnership quickly bore fruit. Rybakina broke into the top 20 early in 2020 and kept on climbing. With Vukov as captain, she reached her pinnacle in 2022 – claiming the Wimbledon crown by a focused, dominating style of play that was to be her signature. Her psychological resilience and match fitness were attributed by many as having been sharpened by Vukov’s influence.

Their passion always brought attention. Cameras often showed him bellowing instructions from the bench or visibly flailing over missed opportunities. While some respected his intensity as evidence of dedication, others began to question whether his approach crossed the line from fervor to stress.

Allegations and Investigation

Grousing about Stefano Vukov’s behavior had been circulating below the WTA radar for months prior to action being taken by the WTA. Players, observers, and fans had been calling his on-court display of frustration during matches, contentious sideline interactions, and what others labeled excessively hard-nosed coaching tactics. All that angst spilled into the public in early 2025 when multiple stories linked specific accusations of mental abuse and verbal abuse heaped on Elena Rybakina.

Sources close to the WTA investigation described recurring instances in which Vukov had purportedly used derogatory language in Rybakina’s presence, including comments on-court during matches, which were recorded. Evidence arrived in the form of a poisonous atmosphere – one in which pressure wasn’t just strategic, but personal. His coaching style, often rough and unyielding, apparently crossed over into psychological abuse. One old tour staffer suggested he “dissipated her confidence more than he built it.”.

Following those claims, the WTA opened a formal inquiry, questioning players, coaches, and tour officials with direct experience of the two’s interactions. Rybakina herself co-operated in the investigation, but seemingly questioned accounts of emotional abuse. She accepted his ferocity but was not in accord that it had a negative impact on her.

However, the board of the WTA concluded that Vukov’s actions had crossed professional bounds for tour coaches. The one-year suspension carried no automatic right of appeal and deprived him of the use of all events governed by the WTA. The decision was one of the stiffest penalties to be handed down to a highly profiled coach in recent tour history.

Reactions from the Tennis Community

Rybakina’s public response came swiftly. In a carefully worded statement, she stood by Vukov, describing their relationship as “high-performing, not harmful.” She praised his role in her development and made clear she never asked for his suspension. “I’ve always responded well to direct coaching,” she said, “and I’ve never felt disrespected by him.”

That devotion elicited mixed emotions. Some admired her stand – in thinking that it was an athlete’s right to choose the support apparatus that works best for her. Others wondered if years of exposure in that setting had de-sensitized the actions, especially with the power dynamic being so weighed on the part of the coach.

Elsewhere on tour, opinions were divided. Iga Świątek was quoted in an appearance before the press that the WTA had made the “right call,” citing a desire for well-defined boundaries in relationships between coaches and players. “Respect must come before results,” she said, who was praised for being frank.

Commentators and former players were not far behind. Some invoked a long overdue accounting in tennis, where grueling practice necessarily crosses over into individual overreaching. Others were worried about establishing a precedent punishing intensity of effort without completely considering context.

What united most responses, though, was the sense that professional tennis had entered new ground – where coaching conduct wasn’t just a private matter but a public responsibility.

Impact on Elena Rybakina’s Career

The loss of an experienced coach during the midseason can rock even the calmest players. To Rybakina, Vukov was not just a strategist – he’s the voice inside her head with every major breakthrough since 2019. Their collaboration has been polarizing but shaped her on-court persona. She now operates in unfamiliar territories without that grounding.

She’s kept working, but observers have noticed subtle modifications – quieter match preparation, more introspective press appearances, and fewer sideline interactions. Even though her play remains good, the absence of her customary corner presence is an issue about how she’ll adjust mentally at pressure situations, particularly deep in Slams.

In the meantime, she has tried sessions with Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanišević. The two are reported to have experimented with the chemistry beforehand, though nothing has been officially declared. Whether he becomes a regular presence or just a stopgap coach, only time will tell on the basis of the caliber of their interaction in pressure situations.

The greater test is not just one of percentages or forehands in service. It’s one of trust – rebuilding that in a new coaching setup while still on the competitive circuit at its upper echelons. A loss of confidence or cohesion on strategy could deflect her path, especially as the tour reaches its most challenging stretch of tests.

Broader Implications for the WTA

Vukov’s suspension marks a turning point for the WTA. The organization has long been silently accused of overlooking poisonous coach-athlete relationships in the interest of “tough love.” This decision sends another message: boundaries matter, and behavior long tolerated as intensity is now met with harsh punishment.

It also sets precedent. By getting on record over emotional and psychological abuse – as distinct from physical misconduct – the WTA has somewhat opened the floodgates of complaint for players to cry. They’ve gone beyond damage control and into full-blown policy enforcement.

But the action also raises new questions. How would the WTA then define abuse? What constitutes forceful coaching and intimidation? And who decides where that line is? To begin to address them, the organization needs to have well-established parameters, enhanced education for the coaches, and channels for players to report without fear of retaliation.

There’s a growing need, too, for tour-based wellness resources. Mental health care can’t be boiled down to publicity stunts and hotline numbers. Players need access to regular contact with pros who understand the specific pressures of high-level competition – especially when coaching relationships are a source of pressure, not calm.

If the WTA does come back with actual infrastructure – something more than a suspension of judgment – they may force a broader cultural shift in tennis. One where care and accountability are not ideals but norms.

Conclusion

Stefano Vukov’s suspension shook more than a pair of assistant coaches—it uncovered underlying issues with authority, performance, and protection in professional tennis. Rybakina is now facing a crucial stretch without the coach who helped build her up, and the WTA must respond to its complicity with the culture it has sustained.

This is not a time to villainize one coach or defend one athlete. It is a time to demand a better standard of care for the athletes, and how the sport defines success – not just by titles, but by the character of the systems that create them.

In the future, the balance has to be redressed. Tennis does not need less ferocity. It needs more responsibility. And it’s up to the institutions governing the sport to lead the way with clarity, compassion, and initiative.