MELBOURNE, Australia — Elena Rybakina, the champion of Wimbledon in 2022, expressed her disagreement on Saturday with the WTA Tour’s recent decision to impose a provisional suspension on her longtime coach, Stefano Vukov. She emphasized that she has never filed any complaints regarding his conduct.

“I have consistently stated that he has never treated me poorly,” Rybakina remarked during a press conference held just one day prior to the commencement of the Australian Open, where she previously finished as the runner-up to Aryna Sabalenka two years back.

As the No. 6 seed in Melbourne, Rybakina described the situation as “definitely not the ideal scenario” as she prepares for her participation in the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. Moreover, she criticized certain remarks made by “some coaches,” specifically calling out Pam Shriver.

Rybakina had announced her split from Vukov right before the U.S. Open last year, later revealing that she would be working with Goran Ivanisevic for the current season. Ivanisevic is notable for winning Wimbledon in 2001 as a player and for coaching Novak Djokovic, leading him to 12 major titles.

However, Rybakina recently confirmed that Vukov would be rejoining her coaching team. Following this development, the WTA informed that Vukov is under provisional suspension while an independent investigation assesses a potential breach of its code of conduct.

The WTA further mentioned that “Vukov is not eligible to receive a WTA credential at this moment,” which would restrict him from accessing player-exclusive areas at tournaments like practice courts or training facilities.