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Croatia's Stefano Vukov, the 38-year-old, was the coach of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) player Elena Rybakina who is currently ranked No.10 on tour. The Russian international tennis player had recently reached the semi-finals of the National Bank open which took place in Montreal. However, she was defeated by Victoria Mboko, who eventually went on to win the tournament. In February 2025, following the conclusion of the code of conduct investigation, it was announced the WTA had banned Vukov for 12 months. In June, it was reported that Vukov had appealed against the ban.
It is now understood that following the investigation of the appeal filed by Stefano Vukov, the ban on him has been overturned as he wasn't guilty of mistreating Elena Rybakina. The WTA announced a statement which stated that “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.”
Vukov revealed getting Rybakina angry to fuel her performance which was misinterpreted from outside: Reports
The Croatian coach was reportedly banned by the WTA for engaging in “abusive conduct” with Elena Rybakina. Vukov attracted public criticism for his seemingly harsh mid-match comments from the player's box. In a social media post, Rybakina defended Vukov, saying that their relationship remains positive. .
Rybakina announced before last year’s US Open that Vukov would no longer be her coach, but then said before the Australian Open that he would be rejoining her team. Vukov stated that he used to get Elena angry to fuel her performance. He further added that there was a mutual understanding between both of them, which was misinterpreted from the outside
