'Needs to respect..' - Iga Swiatek comes in support of WTA's decision to ban Elena Rybakina’s coach

WTA's decision to ban Elena Rybakina’s coach, Stefano Vukov is supported by Iga Swiatek. According to the five-time Grand Slam champion, the rules must be followed, and the procedure that led to Vukov's ban should be trusted. Despite his restoration in Rybakina's squad, the WTA said this week that Vukov's suspension is still in place and that the investigation into his alleged abuse of his player is still ongoing.

He is therefore currently prohibited from entering the tournament grounds. The specifics of the code of conduct infraction and the suspension have not been made public by the WTA. The former Wimbledon Champion has denied this, but The Athletic alleges that Vukov verbally abused Elena Rybakina in the alleged incident. Iga Swiatek, the world No. 2 who just defeated Rybakina in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open, discussed the significance of honoring the WTA's investigation procedure. 

"I guess everybody needs to respect the decision because we need to trust that the whole process was made with the right rules. Every personal trainer, every coach, they need to kind of accept the code of conduct when they want to be on WTA,” the four-time Roland Garros champion added. "So for sure I hope the WTA is doing everything to make it a safe environment,"Iga Swiatek said in an interview.

Iga Swaitek's winning streak ended in Qatar

To protect players, the WTA has set up investigative follow-ups and anonymous reporting methods. Although, the rule of conduct only applies to official competitions, Vukov was suspended for allegedly breaking it. Accordingly, the WTA can bar Vukov from attending official events and obtaining credentials, but it cannot decide whether he stays on Rybakina's team.

Qatar opened on a bad note for Iga Swaitek as she lost in the semi-finals against Jelena Ostapenko by 6-3, 6-1. This was her fifth loss to Jelena Ostapenko. Before coming into the tournament Iga Swaitek had a streak of 15 matches winning however it ended. She also won the title three times.