Elena Rybakina refuses picture with WTA chief amid row over coach

Elena Rybakina combined history and controversy in one dramatic evening’s work as she claimed a £4m cheque – believed to be the biggest single payday in the annals of women’s sport – and then refused to pose for the customary photos with tour boss Portia Archer.

Rybakina earned her financial reward by defeating world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka at the lucrative WTA Finals event, which is now being staged in Riyadh – the capital of Saudi Arabia – for the second time in a three-year deal.

Rybakina then occupied what she clearly believes to be the moral high ground by snubbing Archer, the chief executive of the WTA Tour. However, when asked about her actions afterwards, she declined to explain her motives.

Rybakina refused to take a pic next to the WTA CEO? 👀 pic.twitter.com/A92ps4LLYl

— Lorena Popa 🕵️‍♀️🎾 (@popalorena) November 8, 2025

In the absence of any statement from the WTA, the tennis world reached the obvious conclusion that Rybakina was silently protesting against the 12-month ban handed to her coach Stefano Vukov in February, following an investigation into Vukov’s allegedly “abusive conduct” towards Rybakina.

Significantly, Archer’s role involves overseeing code-of-conduct investigations, even though the report – which claimed Vukov had told Rybakina that, without him, she would “still be in Russia picking potatoes” – was compiled by an independent agency.

At the start of this year, Rybakina had insisted that “he [Vukov] never mistreated me”. Since the investigation was first reported in January, she has continued to object to its very existence, and then expressed her delight when the ban was overturned in August, following an appeal. Vukov’s return to her player box certainly seems to have invigorated Rybakina, as she has won 18 of her last 23 matches including titles in Ningbo, China, and now Riyadh.

Even more impressively, she has dominated the world’s best players, losing only one of nine matches against top-10 opposition in that time. During Vukov’s absence, her record in those high-profile clashes had stood at a modest three wins from eight attempts.

Despite dominating the tour this season, Sabalenka has struggled in the biggest matches. This was her fifth defeat in eight finals in 2025, with runner-up finishes coming in such sought-after events as the Australian Open, Indian Wells and the French Open.

On Saturday, Sabalenka failed to make any impact on Rybakina’s mighty serve. She saw 13 aces fly past, and was unable to convert any of her five break points in the match. Admittedly, Rybakina only landed a single break – which came in the sixth game of the match – but she went on dominate the second-set tie-break as she closed out a 6-3, 7-6 victory in an hour and 47 minutes.

Afterwards, Sabalenka seemed to be in tears as she sat with her coaching team. “It was not the best performance from me today, but Elena you were definitely the better player,” she said at the same presentation ceremony where Rybakina – the 26-year-old Kazakh who won Wimbledon in 2022 – insisted on keeping her distance from Archer.

“You literally smashed me out of the court,” added Sabalenka. “I’m happy to see you play your best tennis. Enjoy this beautiful trophy.”

The Archer snub provided an awkward conclusion to the WTA Tour season, but it has been an interesting year nonetheless. We have seen four different slam champions and the rise of an exciting contender in Amanda Anisimova, the American who suffered a “double-bagel” 6-0, 6-0 defeat in the Wimbledon final but recovered to finish the year ranked No 4.