Currently, Elena Rybakina is leading headlines for her professional side. Amid this, let's dive deep in to learn about her alleged secret affair with coach Stefano Vukov that led to his suspension.
Kazakhstan’s tennis star, Elena Rybakina, is hogging the limelight for being in the best form to compete America’s tennis champion, Jessica Pegula. The duo have had six face-offs. Both of them has won three matches each. The last time, Elena and Jessica faced off was at the semifinals of 2025 WTA Finals. It was Kazakhstan’s star player who won the watch and secured a 4–6, 6–4, 6–3.
The professional achievements of the 26-year-old tennis player of Kazakhstan has often made headlines. Apart from this, in 2024, her personal life stole the spotlight. Elena has always preferred to keep her personal life private but in 2024, she was rumoured to be dating her coach, Stefano Vukov. The duo’s partnership was the one of the most talked about topics in the tennis world as Elena won a lot of titles under his guidance, including the Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 2022.
In January 2025, WTA provisionally suspended 36-year-old Stefano Vukov after several members of Elena’s inner circle complained against him. Earlier, during the 2024 US Open, Stefano tried hard to convince the Wimbledon champion for partnership. According to a report by The New York Times, the 36-year-old Stefano walked the lobby and hallways of Elena’s Manhattan hotel in August 2024. He flooded her phone with text messages and more than 100 calls in just two days. In a confidential three-page summary of the investigation, WTA chief executive Portia Archer outlined the 36-year-old coach’s violations of the code of conduct as:
"Engaging in abuse of authority and abusive conduct towards the WTA Player, including compromising or attempting to compromise the psychological, physical or emotional well-being of the Player; engaging in physical and verbal abuse of the Player; and, exploiting your relationship with the Player for further personal and/or business interests at the expense of the best interest of the Player."
Portia Archer concluded the letter by mentioning that Stefano harassed Elena in New York, "despite her respect to give her space". The letter also highlighted the torture done to Elena, including abuse during coaching, calling her "stupid", yelling at her and calling her "retarded". Portia’s letter specified that the 36-year-old coach’s mental abuse and his pushing Elena beyond her limits had led to “a physical illness or other symptoms”. The star player missed or withdrew from several events in 2024 due to illness and injury. Portia Archer’s letter said that the WTA also received an email from Elena’s mom requesting Stefano not to make her daughter cry.
In August 2025, WTA lifted Stefano’s suspension, and Elena brought her back to her team. Amid the criticism, she backed her coach, Stefano Vukov. Earlier, in 2024 just before the US Open. But in August 2025, the old partnership again grabbed the limelight during the US Open. Speaking about their relationship and sharing her feelings, Elena said to the media in 2025:
"I never had any issues with him, so for me it's just nice to see him in the box. We obviously have good communication and we never had an issue."
After breaking her partnership with Stefano in 2024, Elena worked with both Goran Ivanisevic and David Sanguinetti. For the unversed, Stefano and Elena began to work together in 2019. Under his guidance, Elena Rybakina won several titles. Regarding his suspension, Stefano denied the claims made by the WTA and stated that he never abused anyone. Although he didn’t mention anyone’s name, it was clear that he was pointing at the 26-year-old Wimbledon champion.
What are your thoughts on the alleged secret affair of Elena Rybakina and Stefano Vukov? Let us know.
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