Although world No.3 Coco Gauff was reluctant to comment in detail about Elena Rybakina's relationship with ex-coach Stefano Vukov, she admitted that in tennis, abuse has "happened many times".
Rybakina, former Wimbledon winner, told reporters last week that she is "disappointed with the situation" after the WTA confirmed their provisional ban on Vukov will "remain in place" following abuse allegations directed at the Kazakh player.
When asked to speak on the matter, Gauff provided a careful response
"As far as I know, [Rybakina] doesn't like the decision," she said. "I know the WTA also has the right to protect her, and I think I will stay out of it.
"In general, I think it's good that the WTA ensures the protection of the players. I know they have things in the bathrooms for us to report things anonymously, all those meetings and things. Definitely, I feel protected by them.
"But as the person involved doesn't agree with the decision, I don't want to talk about it."
With Jelena Dokic's documentary, 'Unbreakable', now released, there has been more focus on protecting athletes from domestic violence and abuse.
"I haven't seen anything crazy, but obviously, I hear stories on tour," said Gauff.
"I can't report anything I don't see, but obviously, if I see something, you can do things anonymously. I think that's important in our sport because many times, victims don't even know they are victims. In this sport, it has happened many times. Many times, former players are seen speaking about the treatment they received years after retiring."
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