Stefano Vukov is known for his frantic and intense coaching style (Picture: Getty)
World No.4 tennis star Elena Rybakina sacked her coach Stefano Vukov because he constantly insulted her with ‘bad words’, according to reports.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion dramatically split with Vukov just three days before the US Open – and new details about the break-up have now emerged.
It is alleged that Vukov, who worked with Rybakina for five years, had an ‘incorrect attitude’ and put the Russian-born Kazakhstani star under ‘very heavy pressure’ which ultimately led to ‘psychological problems’.
Vukov, 37, is known for his frantic and intense coaching style, and the Croatian has previously admitted that he ‘know[s] very well how to get Elena angry’.
Following his split with Rybakina, 25, Russian journalist Sofya Tartakova has lifted the lid on what went on behind the scenes before the break-up was announced.
‘All these difficulties that she [currently] faces, she faces because of a lot of very heavy pressure associated with her former coach Vukov,’ Tartakova told the Tennis Bolshei YouTube channel.
‘They say that Stefano actually came to the US Open, that he was in New York, was ready to continue working with her, but Lena decided that they would break up because of a very difficult… I don’t want to say big words, not quite the correct attitude of her mentor towards her.
Elena Rybakina clinched the Wimbledon singles title in 2022 (Picture: Getty)
‘That is, he “ate” her all the time, as people who surrounded Lena say. Rybakina’s parents stood up for her, because she could not break this vicious circle.
‘On one hand, this is the coach who worked with her since [a young age], and she herself, together with her family, chose him.
‘It is clear that they were very close, she won the main achievements of her career thanks to their joint work, [but] her parents insisted that Lena change something in her tennis life, because there was pressure, and insults, and bad words said to her. They were constantly from Vukov’s lips.
‘And now Elena Rybakina is suffering and trying to get rid of psychological problems, so the situation is, of course, very difficult for her, but we’ll see.
‘I tried to find out if there is official information that he is banned from the WTA Tour, because we discussed this several months ago, that a report was allegedly written on him and he was suspended from work.
‘No one has officially confirmed this yet. We will find out very soon, if he finds another protégé, then this ban does not exist. But according to Vukov, as he positions himself, he does not have any ban. But it was a big surprise that Lena stopped working with him.’