- Head coachStefano Vukov (Croatia)
- Joined in late 2025Stanislav Khmarskyi
- PreviouslyGoran Ivanišević, Davide Sanguinetti
- BaseDubai, UAE
Stefano Vukov
Vukov took charge of Rybakina's team in 2019, when she was outside the top 150, and guided her through the entire climb: the top twenty in 2020, the Wimbledon title in 2022, the top five in 2023. His coaching approach is built around her principal weapon - the serve and the attempt to finish points within the first few shots.
His courtside manner, emotional and directive, has been the subject of discussion in the tour on more than one occasion. Rybakina has consistently defended him in public.
Coaching timeline
- 2019Work with Stefano Vukov beginsRybakina is outside the top 150.
- 2022Wimbledon titleThe peak of their first spell together.
- Nov 2024Goran Ivanišević arrivesNovak Djokovic's former coach takes over; Vukov steps aside.
- Jan 2025Split with IvaniševićThe partnership ends after the Australian Open. Davide Sanguinetti works with the team on an interim basis.
- 2025Vukov returnsCoinciding with the best stretch of her career: the WTA Finals title, then the 2026 Australian Open.
- Late 2025Stanislav Khmarskyi joinsThe team expands ahead of the season that takes her to No. 1.
The Ivanišević episode
Hiring Ivanišević at the end of 2024 looked logical: a coach who had worked with a 24-time Grand Slam champion, and himself a Wimbledon winner, paired with a player whose main weapon is also the serve. The partnership lasted less than three months and ended immediately after the 2025 Australian Open. Neither side made the reasons public.
Vukov's return afterwards coincided with the most productive period of Rybakina's career, from the WTA Finals title to the world No. 1 ranking.
Who else is in the team
Alongside the coaching staff, the permanent group includes a physiotherapist and a fitness coach - roles that became especially visible after the ankle injury in August 2026. The team is based in Dubai, where Rybakina lives and trains year-round.
How a top-ten player's team is built
A top-ten support group usually numbers between four and seven people: a head coach, an assistant or hitting partner, a fitness coach, a physiotherapist, sometimes a recovery specialist and a psychologist - plus an agent handling contracts and the calendar.
Maintaining that group costs hundreds of thousands of dollars a year: beyond salaries, the team travels and lives with the player for roughly thirty weeks a season. That is why only players inside the top fifty can afford a full staff; the rest travel with a single coach, or alone.
Why coaches change so often on tour
The average tenure of a coach with a top-level player is eighteen months to two years. The reasons are rarely a falling-out: more often an approach is exhausted, the player hits a ceiling and looks for a fresh view of her game.
Rybakina's case is doubly instructive. Vukov's departure at the end of 2024 and the arrival of Goran Ivanišević looked like a logical step - a coach who had worked with a 24-time Grand Slam champion, paired with a player whose weapon is also the serve. The partnership lasted under three months, while the return of the previous coach coincided with the best stretch of her career: the WTA Finals title and the Australian Open.
The conclusion drawn in the locker room is that compatibility between coach and player counts for more than a résumé.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Elena Rybakina's coach in 2026?
Stefano Vukov. He has worked with her since 2019, with a break during the 2024/25 off-season.
Why did Rybakina split with Ivanišević?
The partnership ended in January 2025 after the Australian Open. Neither side made the reasons public.
Who is Stanislav Khmarskyi?
A coach who joined Rybakina's team at the end of 2025.