Elena Rybakina appeared to have a disagreement with her coach Stefano Vukov before her mid-match withdrawal at the 2026 Dubai Championships.
The world No 3 retired due to physical ailments in her third round match with 57th-ranked Antonia Ruzic at the WTA 1000 tournament.
Rybakina called for the physio after losing serve in the opening game of the deciding set, with the score 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 in Ruzic’s favour.
The two-time Grand Slam winner told the physio that she was suffering from “pain in the legs” and “nausea.”
The Kazakh added: “It was just a heavy head, I didn’t sleep well from yesterday. So I’m going to stop.”
Asked if she wanted to be assessed, Rybakina declined, saying: “No, because I know what it is, it’s just really tiredness and pain in the legs. So I don’t see the reason to continue.”
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While sitting in her chair prior to retiring, Rybakina looked over to Vukov in her coaching box and made a cross gesture before waving her hand and shaking her head, suggesting she had already decided not to continue.
An animated Vukov was then seen gesticulating towards Rybakina and seemed to be questioning her decision, before he appeared to say: “What are you doing?”
While Rybakina and Vukov’s exchange was not audible on the broadcast of the match, it was clear that the pair were in disagreement
Elena had been sick for a week, and still, V*kov wanted her to compete. pic.twitter.com/SvQrKnCHeC
— SandrineKem (@SandrineK92) February 18, 2026
Why Stefano Vukov’s presence as Elena Rybakina’s coach is contentious
Vukov coached Rybakina to her major titles at Wimbledon in 2022 and the 2026 Australian Open, but his presence in her team is controversial given he was suspended for six months last year.
Rybakina started working with Vukov in 2019 and parted ways with the Croatian in August 2024 before the pair reunited at the start of 2025.
In February 2025, the WTA Tour banned Vukov from coaching Rybakina for one year following the conclusion of its investigation into a breach of their code of conduct. The Athletic reported the details of Vukov’s behaviour that led to his suspension.
Vukov was cleared to return to Rybakina’s team in August 2025 after successfully appealing his ban.
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