Elena Rybakina statement issued as ex-Wimbledon champion set for tennis return

long-awaited return to tennis could be edging closer, as a statement on the Kazakh's future has been released.

Rybakina hasn't been seen on-court since the opening round of the , where she saw off Destanee Aiava in straight sets.

It would prove the only match she played at the US Open, with Rybakina dropping out of the tournament before taking to the court for her second-round tie against Jessika Ponchet.

During her absence from tennis, reports circulated last month that v.

It was claimed the pair had a fractured relationship, with .

However, compatriot Yuri Shchukin has hinted that Rybakina could make a return to action for the WTA Finals, which are set to get underway in early November.

Speaking after she announced the Kazakhstan roster for the Billie Jean King Cup, Shchukin released a statement which read: "The leader of our team Elena Rybakina plans to play at the WTA Final Tournament by the end of this playing season, where she qualified due to her successful results at the beginning of the year.

"Now Elena feels well, and if she manages to show a confident game in Riyadh, she is determined to play in the matches against the Korean team."

Rybakina's qualification for the WTA Finals was confirmed last week, even though her previous outing was close to two months earlier.

However, her return is unlikely to squash speculation surrounding her split with Vukov.

Fuel was recently added to the fire when , commenting on her podcast: "You guys know, if you have listened to our podcast, I had my feelings and my thoughts when it came to Elena Rybakina's coach.

"I thought he was not a good element. When I'm playing a match, I don't want to see my coach gesturing, looking all p***ed off up there.

"And there's been some coaches of late that I'm like, 'Why do these players allow these coaches to look like this?' Because you need a positive influence around you when you're looking up there."

She added: "Now, off the court, in a way he might be the greatest guy in the world to her, I don't know.

"But when it comes to being her coach, I saw way too many things of him yelling at her in the gym, other players have said stuff to me.

"When she would win matches, he was giving her s**t. This is what other people saw. There's 25 other people that could see the same thing I was seeing."