Elena Rybakina lives in a frustrating world. She fired coach Stefano Vukov late last year, only to re-hire him on January 1. There are also rumors that the player and the coach have been in a romantic relationship. This might be greatly complicating things.
The issue is that Vukov has been accused of being verbally abusive to Rybakina (one can hear such things during a match), and that she could be struggling emotionally and mentally. She should be a constant top-five player, but she also withdrew or retired from double-digit tournaments last year. That was weird.
Plus, Vukov is currently provisionally suspended, and it appears he might not be able to return for a full calendar year. This would mean he cannot return until late in 2025. That adds even more mystery to why Rybakina brought him back as her coach when he literally cannot coach her. But the player feels as if she has gotten no support from fellow WTA players during the ordeal.
Elena Rybakina feels no love, Novak Djokovic talks Jannik Sinner, Jimmy Butler has fun with Carlos Alcaraz
Speaking during the media day at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, Rybakina said, "No one offered any support. Honestly, (I) don't need (it). There (are a) couple players I'm in touch (with) more. But to say that I have very, very close friends on tour, it's I think not true just because we (are) competing against each other. Everybody's surrounded by their teams."
In more tennis drama, Novak Djokovic spoke about the three-month suspension that Jannik Sinner just agreed to. The ATP No. 1 will not be able to participate in any tournaments until early May, but he should be back in time for the Rome Masters, the French Open, and the rest of the season. If nothing else, he is getting some extra rest over the next few months.
Still, Djokovic believes a lack of trust is definitely a problem in the sport. Speaking at the Qatar Open, the Serb said, "Right now there is a lack of trust generally from the tennis players, both male and female, toward WADA and ITIA and the whole process. It's not a good image for our sport, that's for sure."
In much happier news, NBA icon and huge tennis fan Jimmy Butler "played" Carlos Alcaraz after Alcaraz's first-round match at the Qatar Open. Butler was there because the NBA was taking a break for its All-Star weekend. The basketball player flew to Qatar to catch a little tennis.
Carlos Alcaraz and NBA's @JimmyButler play tennis in Doha 😆#QatarExxonMobilOpen @QatarTennis pic.twitter.com/JB5DiQ7sBV
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) February 17, 2025
After Alcaraz's win, Butler was on the court and the Spaniard lightly hit the ball toward Butler. Butler playfully did an overhead smash and then talked with the young Spaniard for a few minutes. It was a few moments of fun reprieve from a sport dealing with a lot of drama currently.