Former top-10 player and broadcaster Barbara Schett believes Elena Rybakina is in a relationship with her coach Stefano Vukov after speaking to a former member of her team.
Schett, who reached a ranking high of No.7 in 1999, told Kicker.at that she had spoken with Goran Ivanisevic who briefly mentored Rybakina at the start of the season. The former Wimbledon champion was coached on the Tour for over five years by Vukov until shortly before last year’s US Open. Three months later it was confirmed that her coach was provisionally suspended from the Tour on suspicion of breaking the code of conduct. The WTA then issued him with a one-year ban following an independent investigation. According to a report by The Athletic, the suspension is for mental abuse and harassment.
However, Rybakina has constantly defended her mentor and decided to add him back into her team at the start of 2025. Even though he isn’t allowed to be credentialled at WTA events. To overcome this problem she is also working with Davide Sanguinetti who has filled in the vacant spot left by Ivanisevic.
“In my opinion, he subjected Elena to complete brainwashing. You can see how he treats her and how he speaks to her,” Schett said of Vukov. “Things escalated at the 2024 US Open and the team and family tried to remove him. We know that she has major ups and downs mentally, probably because of him. He definitely abused her mentally and that’s why I think it’s right that he was banned from the WTA.”
Elaborating further, Schett claims the two are in a private relationship. This was also reportedly mentioned in a letter written by WTA CEO Portia Archer which outlined Vukov’s violations of the code of conduct. In it, she is said to have written “there is increasing evidence that you (Rybakina and Vukov) are now involved in a romantic relationship” before saying there was also evidence that the two stayed in the same room at a hotel in Melbourne.
“I spoke about the subject at length with Goran Ivanisevic (Rybakina’s former coach). He said the problem is that they are in a private relationship,” Schett commented.
“Vukov wants to sneak in and get his place on the team back. That is obviously a disaster. He has to get out of her life after everything he has done. I heard in Australia what he shouted from the players’ box. That is simply not acceptable. That is why I think it is great that the WTA is protecting its players and has drawn consequences.”
As for Rybakina’s comment on not receiving support from her peers on the Tour, Schett believes many are afraid to speak up about such issues due to its nature. Using the example of Jelena Dokic to help explain her point. Dokic is a former top-five player and Wimbledon semi-finalist who was abused by her father Damir.
Besides Rybakina, Schett has also raised concerns about how Leylah Fernandez is being treated on the Tour by her father Jorge. Fernandez reached the US Open final in 2021 before losing to Emma Raducanu.
“It is important that anonymity is maintained because they are simply afraid,” she said.
“I am also curious to see what happens to Leylah Fernandez’s father because the way he treats his daughter is insane… It is terrible that something like this still exists today and is sometimes accepted.”
Fernandez has so far not commented on Schett’s remark.
