"As astonishing as her tennis had been, Rybakina invited even more attention with her behavior after the victory. When invited to pose for a bog-standard post-tournament photo alongside Sabalenka and WTA chief executive Portia Archer, Rybakina refused. She stood to the side, made a hand gesture, and looked away while the photo was taken. Her defiance of normal protocol produced this mystifying image of a CEO standing only with the runner-up, at the capstone event of the tour that she runs:"
"It was not difficult to suss out the reasoning behind Rybakina's snub. The WTA had investigated her coach Stefano Vukov, then banned him for one year, starting at the end of January 2025. It was Archer who wrote to the coach announcing the tour's decision, and in that letter, which was obtained by The Athletic, she said the tour determined that Vukov had engaged in "abuse of authority" and "physical and verbal abuse.""
Elena Rybakina captured the WTA Finals title in Riyadh, defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6(0) and earning a $5.2 million prize. She barely qualified for the event after a murky start to 2025. Rybakina's game was powerful, lucid, economical, and marked by controlled points and unhurried movement. After the final she declined a customary posed photo with Sabalenka and WTA chief executive Portia Archer, standing aside and gesturing away. The WTA investigated coach Stefano Vukov and imposed a one-year ban beginning January 2025, citing "abuse of authority" and "physical and verbal abuse."
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