Roddick endorses Ivanisevic for Rybakina: A game-changing move

Former world number one Andy Roddick believes that Goran Ivanisevic might prove to be a perfect coach for Elena Rybakina. The women’s world number five has recently announced hiring the one-time Grand Slam winner after splitting up with her former coach Stefano Vukov. The two worked together for five years.

Ivanisevic’s coaching experience mainly involved working with the men’s legendary tennis star Novak Djokovic. The 37-year-old had a relatively successful time working with the one-time Grand Slam winner as they went on to secure numerous impressive victories during their time together. Djokovic, earlier this year announced that he and Ivanisevic will split after working for six years together.

Former world number one Roddick has been quoted in a report by Tennis 365, in which he talked in detail about the latest appointment by Rybakina. The one-time Grand Slam winner believes that Ivanisevic and the women’s tennis star will thrive as a partnership.

“I was surprised, but I shouldn’t have been,” said Roddick. “I think we have become a little narrow-minded as Goran has only worked with men, so we didn’t have his name in the conversation. But if you think about it past my own ignorance, both of them are big servers who can hit all spots on the court. Who has Goran worked with? He been with big flat hitters who like to go through the court in Cilic and Djokovic. And what does Rybakina need? Maybe a little levity in her box with someone that actually has a sense of humour once in a while, so this looks like an unbelievable fit. When you get to a certain level, you want to talk to someone who has done it before. We have seen a decade of these accomplished coaches who have won Slams in their own right, so this makes a lot of sense. It’s also exciting.”