Elena Rybakina has confirmed that Stefano Vukov will re-join her coaching team for the 2025 season in a development that has shocked tennis fans.   

The world No 5 parted ways with Vukov in August and hired Goran Ivanisevic as her new coach ahead of the 2025 campaign.

Rybakina won all eight of her WTA titles to date, including the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, while working with Vukov, having appointed the Croatian coach in February 2019.

The 25-year-old won three WTA 500 tournaments and reached two WTA 1000 finals in 2024. She played 15 events last season, but withdrew before and during several tournaments as she struggled with health issues.

Russian tennis journalist Sofya Tartakova reported on Tuesday that Vukov will be present in Melbourne to support Rybakina at this month’s Australian Open.

“Stefano Vukov will support Lena Rybakina at the Australian Open 2025,” Tartakova wrote on X. “Stefano informed me that he will travel to Melbourne on January 4.”

Following Rybakina’s split with Vukov, there were rumours that the Croatian had been banned from the WTA Tour, but the coach told Tartakova that this is not the case.

“Vukov said he is in touch with Lena and NO BAN for him from WTA,” Tartakova added.

In a post shared on her Instagram story on Wednesday, Rybakina announced Vukov’s unexpected return to her team.

“Hello everyone. I am excited to announce that Stefano will be joining the team for the 2025 season,” the Kazakh wrote. “Thank you for all the support. And wishing you a great 2025.”

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Vukov attended the World Tennis League exhibition event in Abu Dhabi last month on a day when Rybakina was playing.

In September, Tartakova said Rybakina was suffering from psychological problems as a result of working with Vukov.

“They said that she is having difficulties, back problems,” she said. “That is the official reason… But as people who did not work with her, but were involved in her professional career, say, she is now under a lot of stress and it is all psychosomatic.

“She is now in a completely disorganised state, she cannot play. They say that Stefano actually came to the US Open, that he was in New York, was ready to continue working with her, but Lena decided that they would break up because of a very difficult… I don’t want to say big words, not quite the correct attitude of her mentor towards her.

“That is, he ‘ate’ her all the time, as people who surrounded Lena say. Her parents stood up for her, because she could not break this vicious cycle…. And now she is suffering and trying to get rid of psychological problems, so the situation is, of course, very difficult for her.”

During the WTA Finals in November, Rybakina addressed her split with Vukov and suggested the pair did not part on bad terms.

“I know that a lot of I guess rumours going on. But honestly we just part ways with Stefano,” Rybakina said.

“I think we had incredible results over five years. We achieved a lot. I started with him when I was 200 [in the rankings].

“I think it’s just now next chapter of my career. I want to make next step. But yeah, I did stop with Stefano, like as any other coaches and players do, so.

“Of course it’s a big change, but I think that it’s going to be good change. Of course, it’s not easy when you working with someone for long time. But we are good with Stefano. I just wish him also all the best in his new chapter.”

Rybakina is in action at the 2025 United Cup, where she has won all four of her matches so far (three singles matches and one mixed doubles contest) to lead Kazakhstan to the semi-finals.

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