World No.5 Elena Rybakina has hired former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic as his new coach for the 2025 season.
The star from Kazakhstan confirmed the news on Friday, November 1 before the WTA Finals 2024, scheduled to get underway on November 2. Back in 2001, Ivanisevic had become the first wildcard to win a major tournament after his triumph at SW19. Earlier this year, in March, Novak Djokovic ended his five-year partnership with Ivanisevic. Under Ivanisevic, Djokovic won nine out of his 24 Grand Slam men’s singles titles. Since he left, Djokovic has not won a major, although he claimed his maiden Olympic gold medal in Paris.
“I’m really looking forward to this partnership. I think he’s a great champion and he has so much experience and I’m looking forward to starting,” Rybakina said on Ivanisevic’s appointment. “For me, it was important to get better and with the help of the agents we connected and we just decided to start working … Of course, it’s a big change but I think it’s going to be a good change,” Rybakina added.
Showing his excitement about joining Rybakina’s team, Ivanisevic wrote on Instagram, “Excited about coming back on Tour. This time, it’s time for some WTA action. Happy to join your team Elena Rybakina.”
Elena Rybakina’s roller-coaster year
Rybakina began the year on a stupendous note after winning the titles in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi and Stuttgart. However, she has missed a number of other tournaments because of illness and injury concerns. She made her way through to the Wimbledon semi-finals where Krejcikova defeated her in three sets. Thereafter, Rybakina pulled out of the Olympics due to bronchitis, after which an injury to her lower back forced her out of the US Open.
Rybakina will start her campaign in the WTA Finals on Saturday against World No.4 Jasmine Paolini, who also finished as the runners-up in the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year.