FILE PHOTO: Jan 20, 2025; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan gestures during her match against Madison Keys of United States of America in the fourth round of the women's singles at the 2025 Australian Open at Melbourne Park. Mike Frey-Imagn Images/ File Photo
(Reuters) - Elena Rybakina was disappointed at the WTA's decision to uphold a ban against her former coach Stefano Vukov following an investigation into a potential breach of its code of conduct, she said on Wednesday.
Rybakina, who won the 2022 Wimbledon title under Vukov, ended their five-year partnership in August, days ahead of the U.S. Open.
In January, Vukov was provisionally suspended by the governing body of women's tennis, after which Rybakina said he had "never mistreated her".
Vukov denies wrongdoing and told The Athletic last month that he "never abused anyone" after the media outlet first reported the WTA's provisional ban.
"The WTA confirms that the independent investigation into a potential breach of the WTA Code of Conduct by Stefano Vukov has concluded," the WTA said in a statement.
"Following this process, the suspension remains in place. To protect the confidentiality and integrity of the investigation and its findings, the WTA will not provide further details.
"We remain committed to ensuring that all matters are handled in a fair and objective manner in accordance with the WTA Code of Conduct."
The WTA did not provide details on the length of the suspension.
Ahead of last month's Australian Open, Rybakina said she would rehire Vukov to her team, but his suspension made him ineligible to obtain a credential for WTA tournaments.
"I'm just disappointed with the situation, and how the process went. I'm not going to comment much on that any more," the 25-year-old world number seven told reporters after her win over Rebecca Sramkova at the Qatar Open.
"I'm focusing on my matches, and when I go on the court I'm thinking only about the way I need to play, so I'm concentrating on myself, and also, of course, on the opponent.
"Definitely, it's not the best time, but as I said, I'm always focusing on my matches and want to perform as best as I can."
Rybakina briefly worked with Novak Djokovic's former coach Goran Ivanisevic, who departed her team after a fourth-round exit at the Australian Open.
The Russian-born Kazakh added Italian former player Davide Sanguinetti to her team earlier this month.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India, editing by Ed Osmond)
