Dinara Safina spoke of her delight to see her former coach Davide Sanguinetti joining Elena Rybakina's team as the Russian tennis legend lauded the Italian for his understanding of players as well as being a great person.
Over the weekend, Rybakina confirmed in an interview with Reem Abulleil for AFP that the figure that was spotted around the grounds at the Abu Dhabi Open was indeed Sanguinetti who was last known to be coaching Brandon Nakashima.
Safina had a short stint with him albeit it was memorable for her and was also her last year on the tour before retirement so is the last memory of sorts. She said she knew about it for a while but was sworn to secrecy and also that he gets on with Stefano Vukov.
This of course chimes in with the fact that Rybakina is still very much in contact with her ex coach who is under investigation from the WTA for Code of Conduct violations and so cannot coach her right now. Goran Ivanisevic was with her for a few months but seemingly bowed out after the Australian Open due to the sudden rehire of the controversial Croat.
"I heard the news a little earlier, but I was asked not to tell anyone," the former three-time Grand Slam runner-up told Bolshe Tennis, as translated from Russian.
"I'm sincerely happy about this collaboration, because I know Davide personally, I've worked with him myself and I have nothing but fond memories of him.
"He was by my side in difficult times, and he really wanted to help me, he encouraged me a lot. You know, he always tries to understand the player, which is important as a coach.
"Another important point: he communicates very well and is friends with Stefano Vukov, so I think that's a big plus for Elena too. We can only wish them good luck and we'll be keeping a close eye on this."
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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