Elena Rybakina’s new coach confirmed as Goran Ivanisevic set as shock successor to Stefano Vukov
WTAFriday, 01 November 2024 at 22:50
Elena Rybakina has had a tumultuous year going from being nearly unstoppable at the turn of the year to injury and illness turmoil. As well as dispensing of coach Stefano Vukov. But a renowned successor has now been confirmed.
Goran Ivanisevic, the former Wimbledon champion and long time coach of Novak Djokovic for six years up until mid 2024 has had his break from the game and will now join up with the Kazakh.
A true all star pairing between a tennis legend and a coach that has won everything in the game with Djokovic as a coach. Their relationship ended as Djokovic who still hasn’t appointed a permanent successor searched for answers after early losses in his opening tournaments of the season.
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But given their track record, his staff have been in demand with physios and fitness coaches joining up with Jannik Sinner in particular. Now Ivanisevic has been confirmed for his next move and joins Iga Swiatek who appointed Wim Fissette in hiring outside of her country and inner circle.
Given her talent it is a move which could prove to be genius. Also it gives her stability that she didn’t have under previous coach Stefano Vukov with media reports circling about his treatment of the talented former Wimbledon champion.
A culture of abuse and insults was mooted which has not been commented on by Rybakina as she has not played since an abrupt withdrawal in New York. She plays the WTA Finals this week but it is a move that has been kept under wraps despite her training all week in Riyadh. But they will not join forces until the off-season as Ivanisevic completes his sabbatical from the sport.
“Really looking forward to this partnership. I think he's a great champion and he has so much experience. I'm really looking forward to start. Yeah, for me was important to get better," she later said on the move.
"Of course, with the help of the agents we connected and just decided to start working. So I'm really looking forward.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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