Elena Rybakina said that she was “disappointed” from the WTA tour of the WTA tour to ban her former coach Stefano Vukov following the investigation of the director organ on a potential violation of her code of conduct.
The director’s body revealed last month that the Croatian had been temporarily suspended to play an official role in tournaments after Rybakina announced that he was joining his team.
Concerns were raised over several years concerning the behavior of Vukov towards Rybakina, which he led to Wimbledon in 2022.
A WTA declaration reads as follows: “The WTA confirms that the independent investigation into a potential violation of the WTA code of conduct by Stefano Vukov concluded.
“Following this process, the suspension remains in place. To protect the confidentiality and integrity of the survey and its conclusions, the WTA will not provide more details.
“We remain determined to ensure that all questions are treated in a fair and objective manner in accordance with the WTA code of conduct.”
Addressing journalists after his victory over Rebecca Sramkova at the Qatar Open on Wednesday, Rybakina said: “I’m just disappointed with the situation and how the process took place. I will no longer comment a lot.
“I focus on my games, and when I go on the field, I only think of the way I have to play, so I focus on myself, and also, of course, on the opponent.
“Certainly, it’s not the best time, but as I said, I still focus on my games and I want to play as best as possible.”
Rybakina, who separated from Vukov before the US Open last summer before rehabilitating it, clearly said in Australia last month that she did not support the suspension.
“I do not agree with many things what WTA does in the sense of my relationship with Stefano,” she said at the time.
“As I said before, I have never made complaints or any of these things. I always said that he never mistreated me.”
It remains to be seen how the current suspension affects their coaching relationship.
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Daniela Hantuchova told Sky Sports tennis that she was delighted when the legend of tennis Goran Ivanisevic took over as a Rybakina coach, but he has separated for manners
The former Wimbledon champion, Goran Ivanisevic, who had resumed Rybakina’s training, separated from her after the Australian Open and she has since hired Italian Davide Sanguinetti.
In an interview La Gazzetto Dello SportSanguinetti said: “Vukov and Elena are close, he will always be there. Stefano and I talk a lot, we are on the same wavelength. It’s not a problem to have two coaches, it’s almost a trend now. “
Rybakina is ranked seventh in the world and is considered among the contenders for all the main titles, but she has always fought against bad health, which she blamed in insomnia.
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