Goran Ivanisevic reveals reasons behind Elena Rybakina coaching decision
Goran Ivanisevic believes he has chosen the “right” person to coach ahead of his impending partnership with WTA star Elena Rybakina.
World No 5 Rybakina announced ahead of her WTA Finals campaign that Ivanisevic would coach her from the beginning of 2025, following a split from Stefano Vukov.
Ivanisevic is best known for his coaching work with Novak Djokovic, though he has previously worked with Marin Cilic, Milos Raonic, and Tomas Berdych.
The former Wimbledon champion guided Djokovic to nine Grand Slam titles before their split earlier this year and has been in high demand among players since then.
However, speaking to Tennis Majors, he revealed that he had heard Rybakina was a “great person”, and felt her game style was the best suited for him to work with.
He said: “There were some other offers, but I think I chose the right one for me – because of Elena’s playing style and potential, but also because of her personality.
“Elena is calm and I can’t wait to get going. I think it’s going to be great.
“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.
“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.”
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Ivanisevic and Rybakina have not started working together yet, with their partnership beginning during the off-season.
The Kazakh is currently in action at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, though is already out of the tournament following opening defeats to Jasmine Paolini and Zheng Qinwen.
Rybakina faces one final group match against Aryna Sabalenka, before potentially playing for Kazakhstan in the Billie Jean King Cup later this month.
Coaching Rybakina represents a first step into the women’s game for Ivanisevic, who has solely coached on the ATP Tour in previous years.
And he admitted that the move was a big step for him, but he needed a “U-turn” following his split from 24-time major winner Djokovic.
“Firstly, we need to get to know each other better,” added the Croatian.
“I won’t go too much into detail, but she’s got room for improvement in every aspect of the game. 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.”
