Andy Roddick endorses Elena Rybakina's Goran Ivanisevic hire after 'borderline toxic relationship' with ex-coach Stefano Vukov

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.

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"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.”

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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.