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Tennis News –
Ukrainian tennis player Julia Vakulenko has shared her harrowing experience as part of an investigative report by the French publication L'Equipe, focusing on abuse suffered by players at the hands of their coaches."My coach said I belonged to him": Former Ukrainian tennis star reveals shocking abuse The report primarily highlights the recent controversy involving Elena Rybakina and Stefano Vukov but also includes testimonies from other tennis players, including Vakulenko. The Ukrainian, who began her professional career in 1998 and retired in 2010, reached a career-high WTA ranking of No. 31 in January 2008, earned seven ITF singles titles, and notably advanced to the fourth round of the 2007 US Open. Vakulenko recounted to L'Equipe nearly three years of psychological and sexual abuse that began during the junior Roland Garros event in May 1999, when she was just 15 years old. "We shared the same hotel room. He lay down next to me, touched me, and hugged me," Vakulenko recalled of her then-41-year-old coach. "He kept telling me he loved me deeply, that I belonged to him, and that I would become his wife and a champion only because of him. I had to obey him in everything, even sexually. I was his possession. It was unimaginable suffering. You start hating yourself, thinking, 'It's because I'm pretty, it's my fault.' Everyday life became a nightmare. I didn't want mornings to come." To further assert control, the coach—who had been a top-50 player himself during the 1980s—forced Vakulenko to leave her academy in Barcelona for a private club in the same region, isolating her completely. "I was always alone with him. He prevented me from interacting with others, controlled my phone, checked everything. If he was unhappy, he wouldn't speak to me or would train me poorly. It was complete manipulation. He created this mental dependence. I was isolated entirely, and no one could help me. I couldn't see any way out." The abuse ended only after Vakulenko sustained an injury shortly before turning 18. "I kicked a basket of balls and broke my left arm. I couldn't train for two months and didn't go back to him afterward. I wanted to start a new life—and survive." Since then, Vakulenko has battled severe depression and anorexia. Today, she and other survivors speak out to ensure such abuse never happens again. "We are not just developing players, but individuals," Vakulenko emphasized. "Winning but ending up broken for life—is it really worth it?" |
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