Goran Ivanisevic issues ‘best player in the world’ verdict after ‘sad and strange story’ of Elena Rybakina split
Goran Ivanisevic has described his split with Elena Rybakina as “a sad and strange” story as he spoke about the situation for the first time.
Rybakina hired Ivanisevic at the end of the 2024 season following her decision to separate from long-time coach Stefano Vukov in August.
The 2022 Wimbledon champion revealed on January 1, however, that Vukov would be re-joining her coaching team for the 2025 season. Ivanisevic was “blindsided” by Vukov’s return, according to the The Athletic.
The day after Rybakina’s announcement, it emerged that Vukov, who was Rybakina’s coach from 2019 to 2024, had been suspended by the WTA amid an investigation into a breach of their code of conduct.
Vukov did not receive accreditation for the Australian Open, with Tennis Australia upholding the WTA’s provisional suspension.
Ivanisevic coached Rybakina at the Australian Open, where the 25-year-old reached the fourth round, losing to eventual champion Madison Keys.
Following the Melbourne Grand Slam, Ivanisevic announced he would no longer be coaching Rybakina.
“After our trial period that finished with Australian Open, I wish Elena and her team best of luck moving forward,” Novak Djokovic’s former coach wrote on social media.
The WTA revealed last month that Vukov would remain barred from coaching the Rybakina in an official capacity following its investigation.
In an interview with Croatian football manager and former player Slaven Bilic, Ivanisevic pointed to off-court issues as the reason he parted ways with Rybakina as he lauded the Kazakh’s ability as a player.
“It was a bit strange,” the 2001 Wimbledon winner and former world No 2 said.
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“I won’t talk much about it, but I can say that it’s a bit of a sad and strange story.
“I consider her, even before I became her coach, at least for me, to be the best tennis player in the world. She plays the most beautifully, she plays the simplest and I really enjoyed it.
“Unfortunately, some things happened off the court that I couldn’t control and I didn’t want to be a part of that and part of that story and then I decided that it was best to quit. I wish her all the best in her career.”
Why was Vukov banned by the WTA?
The Athletic, who spoke to sources briefed on the WTA investigation, has reported that the length of the ban is one year and also shed light on the reasons for the decision.
Portia Archer, the chief executive of the WTA Tour, reportedly informed Rybakina and Vukov of the verdict on January 31 in a three-page summary.
Archer stated that Vukov violated the tour’s code of conduct by calling Rybakina “stupid” and telling her that without him she would “still be in Russia picking potatoes.”
The chief executive revealed investigators had concluded Vukov “had made Rybakina cry, subjected the 25-year-old to mental abuse and pushed her beyond her physical limits, which caused her to become ill.”
Archer wrote that Vukov had “harassed” Rybakina by refusing to leave her alone during the 2024 US Open in the weeks after their split. Vukov also broke the “no contact” directive that was part of the WTA’s provisional suspension of him.
She added that Vukov’s behaviour was a “contradiction” to the “safe environment” needed for everyone on the WTA Tour and said: “It’s clear to me you have a toxic relationship.”
Rybakina has added Italian coach Davide Sanguinetti to her team since Vukov’s ban.
