Elena Rybakina hires new team member after key recent departure and coaching saga
Elena Rybakina has made a new addition to her team after a key member of her setup recently stepped down amid a period of considerable off-court upheaval.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion announced on Instagram that she has appointed Italian strength and conditioning coach Aldo Chiari.
“Welcome to the team @aldoilcoach,” Rybakina wrote.
Rybakina‘s former fitness coach, Azuz Simcich, left his role in February after working with the Russian-born star for almost three years.
“After an incredible journey alongside Elena, it’s time to move on,” Simcich said on Instagram.
“I’m deeply grateful for the experiences, challenges, and unforgettable moments we shared. Wishing you nothing but success and happiness in your future endeavours.”
The biggest story about Rybakina’s team this season has been the controversy surrounding her coaching situation.
The 25-year-old hired renowned coach Ivanisevic at the end of the 2024 season following her decision to separate from long-time coach Stefano Vukov in August.
Rybakina revealed on January 1, however, that Vukov would be re-joining her coaching team for the 2025 season.
The day after the surprise announcement, it emerged that Vukov, who was Rybakina’s coach from 2019 to 2024, had been suspended by the WTA Tour amid an investigation into a breach of their code of conduct. Vukov did not receive accreditation for the Australian Open, with Tennis Australia upholding the WTA’s provisional suspension
Ivanisevic was “blindsided” by Vukov’s return, according to the The Athletic, and he parted ways with Rybakina after the Australian Open.
The WTA revealed in February that Vukov would remain barred from coaching the Rybakina in an official capacity following the conclusion of its investigation.
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Rybakina added Italian coach Davide Sanguinetti to her team following Vukov’s suspension.
The Athletic, who spoke to sources briefed on the WTA investigation, reported that the length of Vukov’s ban is one year and also shed light on the reasons for the decision.
Portia Archer, the chief executive of the WTA Tour, reportedly informed Rybakina and Vukov of the verdict on January 31 in a three-page summary.
Archer stated that Vukov violated the tour’s code of conduct by calling Rybakina “stupid” and telling her that without him she would “still be in Russia picking potatoes.”
The chief executive revealed investigators had concluded Vukov “had made Rybakina cry, subjected the 25-year-old to mental abuse and pushed her beyond her physical limits, which caused her to become ill.”
Archer wrote that Vukov had “harassed” Rybakina by refusing to leave her alone during the 2024 US Open in the weeks after their split. Vukov also broke the “no contact” directive that was part of the WTA’s provisional suspension of him.
She added that Vukov’s behaviour was a “contradiction” to the “safe environment” needed for everyone on the WTA Tour and said: “It’s clear to me you have a toxic relationship.”
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