Archive of posts tagged Stefano Vukov

Report: Elena Rybakina’s Coach Stefano Vukov Has Been Reinstated

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By Chris Oddo | Friday August 8, 2025

Stefano Vukov, the longtime coach of former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, has appealed his year-long ban from the WTA Tour and won.

Vukov, who was suspended by the WTA Tour for breaching its code of conduct in January, was barred from receiving credentials at sanctioned events.

Reportedly, Vukov entered into private arbitration with the WTA as part of his appeal, and attended a hearing that took place before Wimbledon.

The long, drawn-out saga has taken place over the span of a year, with the tour first provisionally suspending Vukov near the end of 2024, then officially doing so on January 31st. All the while, Rybakina expressed the sentiment that she’d prefer it if Vukov could continue coaching her.

Rybakina cut ties with Vukov ahead of last year’s US Open, then hired Goran Ivanisevic in the off-season. In January she announced that Vukov was going to come back into the fold, but he was soon banned. Still, Ivanisevic ended up parting ways with Rybakina rather than stay in a situation he called “sad and strange.”

Previously, members of Rybakina’s team had appealed to the WTA that they feared for her safety. Vukov stayed close to his former charge, and inherited agent duties, while Davide Sanguinetti stepped in to coach her. 

According to the Athletic, Vukov initiated an appeal this spring, and has been reinstated.

“The WTA is fully committed to providing a safe and respectful environment for all athletes and other participants, as set out in our WTA Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Code,” the WTA said in a statement to the Athletic. “Any sanctions issued following a breach of these safeguarding rules are carefully considered and are subject to appeal before an independent tribunal.

“While case details remain confidential, we can confirm that Mr. Vukov is eligible to receive credentials at WTA events. We will not be commenting further.”

Sanguinetti has been supportive of Vukov, and could potentially keep his role in the team even after Vukov returns.

Tenth-ranked Rybakina will face Mexico’s Renata Zarazua in second-round action at the Cincinnati Open.

Coach Davide Sanguinetti reveals his honest approach to Elena Rybakina

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Australian Open

Davide Sanguinetti says he definitely has a different approach to WTA players because female athletes are "more sensitive" and therefore he has to be a bit softer in his methods. 

In January, Elena Rybakina went through a very tumultuous period when she decided to bring back Stefano Vukov to her team – that didn't sit well with Goran Ivanisevic at all – who left the Kazakh's team as soon as she finished her Australian Open campaign. To make it all worse for the 26-year-old, the WTA concluded their investigation into Vukov's behavior and he was handed a one-year ban from coaching.

Following the Vukov ban news, Rybakina hired former Italian tennis player Sanguinetti. In the past, the Italian worked with Dinara Safina, Vincent Spadea, Go Soeda, and Brandon Nakashima. As you probably know, Safina played her last pro match in 2011 so a lot of time passed between the last time that Sanguinetti coached on the WTA Tour.

Rybakina's coach Sanguinetti: We definitely need to be more sensitive to girls

"We definitely need to be more sensitive to girls, who have different ways of interacting. It was new to me; I'm learning and adapting," the Italian coach said on Italian channel Supertennis.

One of the reasons why Ivanisevic left Rybakina's team was the fact that he thought he would be the lone coach in her team. But after she decided to bring back Vukov after all the controversies that surrounded them, Ivanisevic decided it simply wasn't worth it. 

When Sanguinetti arrived in the 26-year-old's team, he was directly asked how he felt about Vukov. And he confirmed that he was fine with Vukov. 

"Vukov and Elena are close, he will always be there. Stefano and I talk a lot, we are on the same wavelength. It’s not a problem to have two coaches, it’s almost a trend now," the 52-year-old said in February.

Meanwhile, Rybakina is in the midst of a great Montreal run, where she made the semifinal.