Why Rybakina Refused Photo With Wta Chief Archer

After claiming nan biggest payday successful women's tennis history, Elena Rybakina refused to airs for a photograph pinch WTA Tour main executive Portia Archer.

Rybakina, nan 2022 Wimbledon champion, hit world number 1 Aryna Sabalenka in consecutive sets astatine nan WTA Finals connected Saturday.

But nan Kazakh 26-year-old, who climbed to 5th successful nan world pursuing nan triumph - which secured £3.98m successful prize money - stood abstracted from Sabalenka and Archer during nan post-match celebrations, contempt being asked to subordinate them.

Why?

Rybakina's coach Stefano Vukov was suspended earlier this year aft being recovered to person breached nan WTA's codification of conduct.

That followed an independent investigation into his behaviour towards nan player.

However, Rybakina insisted that she was ne'er mistreated by nan 38-year-old Croat.

Vukov denied immoderate wrongdoing and, having had his prohibition lifted successful August, was coming arsenic Rybakina triumphed astatine nan tour's season-ending tournament.

Concerns person been raised astir Vukov's behaviour towards Rybakina complete nan past fewer seasons - astir notably from coach and commentator Pam Shriver.

Shriver, a victor of 21 Grand Slam doubles titles, has called for safer tennis coaching astatine each levels of nan sport.

Amid scrutiny complete nan mode successful which Vukov said to Rybakina connected and disconnected tribunal astatine tournaments, Shriver posted connected X successful 2023 that she hoped Rybakina "finds a coach who speaks and treats her pinch respect astatine each times".

Following Rybakina's triumph astatine nan WTA Finals, Shriver wrote: "Imagine winning much prize money successful 1 tourney than nan full 'Original 9' complete their corporate careers, past dissing [the] WTA CEO because nan CEO has tried to guarantee stronger safeguards successful your sports… it's difficult to imagine."

Rybakina had worked pinch Vukov since she was a teen earlier concisely ending nan business earlier past year's US Open.

However, erstwhile she decided successful January that she wanted Vukov to rejoin her team, his provisional suspension meant he was denied legalization astatine nan Australian Open.

Speaking successful February, Rybakina said she was successful interaction pinch Vukov and he was still helping her pinch "a batch of things, connected nan court, extracurricular of nan court".

Asked connected Sunday whether she had held reconciliation talks pinch nan WTA pursuing Vukov's return, Rybakina told AFP: "I deliberation we're each doing our occupation and we had nan opportunity to person conversations, but successful nan extremity it ne'er happened.

"So we're each doing our occupation and I deliberation we're going to support it this way."

But Rybakina said that she preferred to support nan logic for not joining nan ceremonial photograph pinch Archer betwixt them.

BBC Sport has approached Rybakina and nan WTA for comment.