Goran Ivanisevic has told Tennis Majors he is looking forward to the challenge of working with former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina.
The Croat was unexpectedly announced as Kazakh’s new coach shortly before the WTA Finals got underway. Ivanisevic has already established himself as a strong mentor on the men’s Tour which was highlighted by his five-year stint with Novak Djokovic. He has also worked with Tomas Berdych, Marin Cilic and Milos Raonic.
However, Rybakina will be the first high-profile female player he has worked with. She was coached by Stefano Vukov from 2019 until shortly before this year’s US Open. The exact details surrounding their separation and Vukov’s subsequent disappearance from the list of WTA coaches haven’t been publically addressed which sparked various rumors.
“I don’t know her too well personally, but my friend Zule is her fitness coach – we worked together with Tomas Berdych – and the word around the Tour generally is that she is a great person,” Ivanisevic told Tennis Majors.
“Game-wise, she has got a big serve, tall, strong hitter who plays aggressively, she won Wimbledon just like me. I feel I can teach her something. I mean, she is already No.5 in the world, but I think she can win more Slams, that’s for sure.”
Rybakina has experienced a roller-coaster season this year. Up until mid-July, she had recorded 40 wins on the Tour, winning three WTA 500 events. However, she has only managed to record one Tour-level win since Wimbledon ended. She missed the entire Asian swing due to a back injury.
Tasked with trying to get Rybakina back on track, Ivanisevic was coy when asked what he thinks he can contribute to her game.
“Firstly, we need to get to know each other better. I won’t go too much into detail, but she’s got room for improvement in every aspect of the game.” He said.
” She can achieve better results. It’s going to be interesting. I know that many people found it odd and that people were surprised by our collaboration, but not me – I needed a U-turn after Novak. I won everything with Novak, so I am extremely looking forward to this new challenge.
“Honestly, during my time on the ATP Tour, I never pictured myself on the women’s tour, but I don’t see myself in men’s tennis at the moment.”
Ivanisevic’s collaboration with Rybakina will start during the off-season. They will then travel together to Australia.
