Former world number one
Andy Roddick believes that Elena
Rybakina's decision to hire
Goran Ivanisevic makes a lot of sense. The women’s
world number five hired the one-time Grand Slam winner as her new coach just
before the start of the ongoing WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Former world number one Roddick, who is famous for being outspoken
and also hosts a podcast, was recently quoted in a report where he talked in
detail about Rybakina's decision to hire Ivanisevic. The former US Open
winner believes that the ex-Croatian tennis star is a perfect candidate for the
reigning women’s world number five, especially after having a ‘borderline toxic
relationship’ with her former coach, Stefano Vukov.
"They both are super tall, they both hit spots, they
both have massive serves,” said Roddick. “The two players that Goran has worked
with, Cilic and Novak, hit hard and flat through the court. That is a match for
Rybakina as well. They've both won Wimbledon, they're both good on the same
surfaces. And most importantly, the credibility that Goran brings to the camp
and also the levity that he might bring. The guy has a personality, where's he
always in on the joke and coming off of this borderline toxic relationship of
Rybakina's with her last coach, the more I thought about it, the more I liked
this hire.”
In the past, there have been instances of Rybakina's on-court
disagreement with her former coach, Vukov, which was also noticed by some of the
former players and coaches. On the other hand, Ivanisevic is a renowned tennis
coach whose six-year stint with the former men’s world number one Serbia’s Novak
Djokovic recently ended. As a coach, the 37-year-old won multiple major titles,
including three Australian Opens, three Wimbledons, two French Opens, two US
Opens, and two ATP Finals titles.