World quantity six Elena Rybakina says her former coach Stefano Vukov “by no means mistreated me” after he was provisionally suspended by the WTA whereas an investigation into his behaviour in direction of the participant continues.
Earlier this week, the 25-year-old 2022 Wimbledon champion from Kazakhstan mentioned Vukov, who was a part of her workforce when she gained the title, was re-joining her workforce.
However the WTA has instructed BBC Sport the 37-year-old Croat is at the moment banned after allegedly breaching the WTA’s Code of Conduct.
Vukov, who started teaching Rybakina when she was an adolescent, denies any wrongdoing.
“I can solely say, and I mentioned it already earlier than, that he by no means mistreated me, it was by no means something like that,” mentioned Rybakina after Kazakhstan’s defeat by Poland within the semi-finals of the United Cup in Sydney on Saturday.
“Stefano is re-joining the workforce as a result of I do know the particular person for six years and there is plenty of issues we are able to do outdoors of the court docket too.”
She added: “In fact I am probably not proud of the scenario. I am not proud of the feedback which I see, particularly from the people who find themselves on the tour. It is lively coaches, commentators. I do not assume that it is honest.”
It isn’t clear whether or not Rybakina herself, or another person, raised the criticism towards Vukov which started the present investigation.
The provisional suspension means Vukov is not going to obtain accreditation for WTA occasions, stopping him from going into player-only areas which embrace the apply courts, different coaching amenities and eating places.
Issues have commonly been raised over the previous few seasons about Vukov’s behaviour in direction of Rybakina.
The style through which he talks to her – on and off court docket at tournaments – has come underneath scrutiny, though it isn’t recognized precisely which a part of the WTA’s Code of Conduct he’s alleged to have damaged.
On Thursday, he instructed The Athletic – which first reported the story about his provisional ban – that he “by no means abused anybody”.
The partnership ended earlier than final 12 months’s US Open and she or he appointed Goran Ivanisevic as her new coach.
