Stefano Vukov, the former coach of world number five Elena Rybakina, will remain banned from the WTA Tour following an independent investigation into his behaviour towards the player.

It was announced in January that the Croat had been provisionally suspended after allegedly breaching the WTA’s Code of Conduct.

On Tuesday, the WTA – the governing body of women’s tennis – confirmed Vukov’s ban had been upheld.

The 37-year-old has denied any wrongdoing and Rybakina has said she was never mistreated by him.

Confirming the conclusion of the investigation to BBC Sport, the WTA added: “Following this process, the suspension remains in place.

“To protect the confidentiality and integrity of the investigation and its findings, the WTA will not provide further details. We remain committed to ensuring that all matters are handled in a fair and objective manner in accordance with the WTA Code of Conduct.”

It would not specify how long Vukov will be banned for and it is not known which part of the WTA’s code he has broken.

Vukov can appeal against the decision.

The decision means Rybakina will not be able to bring Vukov back on to her team – something she hoped to do at the start of the year.

BBC Sport has approached Vukov for comment.