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Pam Shriver criticized Elena Rybakina’s move after the Kazakh refused to pose with the WTA CEO following her dominant win at the year-end Championships. The gesture was seemingly an act of protest against the ban imposed on her coach, Stefano Vukov, for breaching the WTA’s Code of Conduct earlier this year.Elena Rybakina had a phenomenal run at her third year-end Championships, where she defeated No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6 (0) at the final stage to lift the trophy. She was coming off an undefeated streak across five matches, going 3-0, and trouncing Jessica Pegula in the semifinals. Rybakina’s win also earned her a whopping $5.235 million, a record prize money total across both men’s and women’s tennis at the tour level. Setting the celebratory moment aside, the Kazakh drew attention from fans and enthusiasts for refusing to pose with the WTA CEO during the trophy ceremony.The act was a response to WTA banning her coach, Stefano Vukov, for breaching WTA's Code of Conduct. The latter's ban was confirmed after an independent investigation confirmed that his behaviour towards his mentee was not appropriate. Pam Shriver, who had always been critical of their partnership, bemoaned that Elena Rybakina disrespected the WTA CEO for prioritizing women's safety in sports. She shared a message on her X, reading:"Imagine winning more prize money in one tournament than the entire Original Nine over their collective careers, then dissing WTA CEO because the CEO has tried to ensure stronger safeguards in your sports… it’s hard to imagine."Rybakina parted ways with Vukov in the lead up to the 2024 US Open. She then joined forces with Djokovic's former coach, Goran Ivanisevic. Pam Shriver was critical of Elena Rybakina when she decided to re-hire Stefano Vukov earlier this yearRybakina at the WTA Finals 2025 - Previews - Source: GettyRybakina has worked with Vukov since her teenage years, and together they have won eight WTA Tour-level titles. However, their on-court relationship has met with backlash, as the latter’s manner of speaking to the Kazakh hasn’t always been received well by fans and enthusiasts.In January this year, the 2022 Wimbledon champion announced that she would rehire Vukov after the duo separated before the 2024 US Open."Hello everyone, I am excited to announce that Stefano will be joining the team for the 2025 season. Thank you all for the support 🙌 And wishing you a great 2025," she wrote in her Instagram story.Former player and broadcaster Pam Shriver noted that it was a sad situation for tennis, as someone abusive and manipulative was rejoining the player’s team."It’s time for our entire sport to finally stand up to known abuse and cult like manipulations of players. This is a very sad situation and my prayers are with ER," she shared on X. Elena Rybakina became the first Kazakh player to be ranked in the world's top 10 and currently stands at No. 5 after her WTA Finals win.
