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World number seven Elena Rybakina said she is “disappointed” at the WTA’s decision to uphold the ban against her former coach Stefano Vukov following an independent investigation into his behaviour towards the player.
It was announced in January that the Croat had been provisionally suspended after allegedly breaching the WTA’s Code of Conduct.
On Tuesday, the WTA – the governing body of women’s tennis – confirmed Vukov’s ban had been upheld.
“I’m just disappointed with the situation, and how the process went. I’m not going to comment much more,” the 25-year-old said after her win over Rebecca Sramkova at the Qatar Open on Wednesday.
“I’m focusing on my matches, and when I go on the court I’m thinking only about the way I need to play.
“It’s not the best time, but I want to perform as best as I can.”
The WTA has not specified how long Vukov will be banned for and it is not known which part of the code he has broken.
But the manner in which he spoke to her – on and off court at tournaments – has come under scrutiny.
The 37-year-old helped Rybakina to win Wimbledon in 2022 but their five-year partnership ended days before the 2024 US Open in August.
The WTA’s decision means Rybakina will not be able to bring Vukov back on to her team – something she hoped to do at the start of the year.
Vukov denies any wrongdoing and told The Athletic last month that he had “never abused anyone”, while Rybakina also said at this year’s Australian Open she has never made “any complaints” about Vukov.
The WTA did not provide details on the length of the suspension but Vukov can appeal against the decision.
Rybakina worked briefly with Novak Djokovic’s former coach Goran Ivanisevic on a trial basis, but he left her team after a fourth-round exit at the Australian Open.
