Inside tennis’ ‘abusive’ coaching row: Ex-Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina and former coach Stefano Vukov ‘toxic relationship’ after he was BANNED from WTA tour

As world No7 Elena Rybakina battled to keep her hopes of securing her first title of 2025 in her semi-final clash with teenage sensation Mirra Andreeva alive, it was not members of her own family that watched her in the Dubai heat from the stands.

Instead, fans on social media noted that the former Wimbledon champions was being watched by another patriarch – the father of her former coach, Stefano Vukov. Vukov, 37, was not in the stadium, nor will he be after receiving a near-unprecedented one-year ban from the WTA after being found to have violated their code of conduct in a move which sent seismic tremours through the tennis world.