United Cup 2025: Elena Rybakina Points to Exhausting Travel Schedule as Reason for Defeat Against Iga Swiatek

Elena Rybakina spearheaded Kazakhstan’s United Cup campaign this year. Undoubtedly, she was the highlight behind her country’s historic run at the event. Thanks to the former World No.3 and 2022 Wimbledon champion, Kazakhstan stormed into its first-ever semifinal in the tournament history. After easily conquering Germany’s Laura Siegemund, 6-3, 6-1 in the quarterfinal, Rybakina seemed nearly invincible. However, Swiatek shattered her and her country’s hopes in the semifinal. Following the loss, the Kazakh has now explained the actual reason for what may have led to her defeat.
For the unversed, Rybakina’s team played most of its United Cup matches in Perth, before flying to Sydney for the semis. On the other hand, Swiatek’s team stayed in Sydney from the beginning of the event. Along with the group stage, Poland also played the QF and semifinal at the same venue. Remember, the final will also be take place in Sydney, on January 5. During their SF encounter, Swiatek looked more dominating than Rybakina. The latter, who’s one of the few to give a hard time to the Pole in recent years, tried to give her best. However, she eventually lost with a scoreline of 6(5)-7, 4-6. After the match, the 25-year-old revealed she felt exhausted during the match.
“It was tough to move and just after long rallies I was feeling that I’m very tired physically, but I was pushing myself,” she said in an official media interaction, dated January 4. Rybakina cited traveling as a major reason behind her loss. How? When asked if the change in venue, conditions, and traveling played any role in the results, she said, “Of course it’s not easy to fly. It was, like, four-and-a-half, five hours’ flight, and then you have only day, and a half basically to prepare, to adjust.”
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via Imago Image Credits: Imago
“Of course it’s not enough. Other teams, they have the same, but we also starting at 10:00. I would agree that ideally if we would play everybody in one place, it will be much better for everyone,” she added. It appears she’s not in favor of the current structure involving two host cities. Simply because it tends to give a disadvantage to the traveling team, due to less preparation time, according to her.
Meanwhile, the SF loss isn’t the only thing bothering Elena Rybakina.
Elena Rybakina speaks on ex-coach Stefano Vukov and the brewing controversy
In the same interview, she was asked about Vukov getting banned for an alleged breach of code of conduct. Various rumors have suggested that his behavior was not positive with Elena Rybakina during their five-year partnership. “The WTA can confirm that Stefano Vukov is currently under a provisional suspension pending an independent investigation into a potential breach of the WTA Code of Conduct,” said a WTA spokesperson, as reported by The Athletic on January 3.
Remember, they both parted ways back in August 2024? Prior to the split, some former pros observed that things were not right between the two. In 2023, during Rybakina’s Australian Open campaign where she reached the final, 22-time Major winner Pam Shriver expressed major criticism towards Vukov. She even urged the player to look for a new person for the role of her trainer. Back then, the Kazakh simply refuted the claims against him, calling them “disturbing” and nothing more than “fake news.” Well, Shriver is still sticking to her stance in 2025.
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Earlier this week, Rybakina revealed that Vukov will re-join her during the upcoming Australian Open. “Hello everyone, I am excited to announce that Stefano will be joining the team for the 2025 season. Thank you all for the support And wishing you a great 2025” she wrote in an Instagram story. Responding to this revelation, Shriver wrote on X, “It’s time for our entire sport to finally stand up to known abuse and cult-like manipulations of players.”
The backlash has now doubled after her announcement. Especially when she’s already got Novak Djokovic’s former trainer Goran Ivanisevic as her new coach. Moreover, it seems he was reportedly “blindsided” by her decision to have Vukov back, according to The Athletic. Unbothered, Rybakina’s standing by Vukov side.
“I can only say and I said it already before that he never mistreated me or it was never anything like that,” she revealed. “I mean, I’m working with Goran. I’m happy the way we work now for the couple of weeks. As I also said, that Stefano is rejoining the team because I know the person for six years, and there is a lot of things we can do outside of the court too,” she added.
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Expressing her frustration at the negative comments on Vukov on social media, she said, “Of course, I’m not really happy with the situation. I’m not happy with the comments which I see, especially from the people who are on the tour. It’s active coaches, commentators. I don’t think that it’s fair.”
“Yeah, but the only thing I can say is, like, he never mistreated me.” Rybakina reiterated. Do you think her efforts to bring back Vukov, when Ivanisevic is part of her team, are justified? Let us know in the comments below.