Elena Rybakina prepares a serve to Leylah Fernandez in the women’s singles round 2 during the Cincinnati Open, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, at the Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason. World No. 5 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan announced the hiring Friday of Novak Djokovic’s former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, for the 2025 season.
Rybakina, 25, split with longtime coach Stefano Vukov this summer. The 2022 Wimbledon champion is an eight-time winner on the WTA Tour, including three titles in 2024.
Djokovic ended a five-year run with Ivanisevic in March that included nine of his record 24 Grand Slam titles.
Ivanisevic, 53, is a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame with 22 ATP Tour titles including Wimbledon in 2001.
“I’m really looking forward to this partnership,” Rybakina told reporters ahead of the WTA Finals, which begin on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “I think he’s a great champion and he has so much experience, and I’m looking forward to starting.
“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.”
Ivanisevic commented on his new client on Instagram. “Excited about coming back on Tour. This time, it’s time for some WTA action,” he wrote. “Happy to join your team Elena Rybakina.”
Rybakina dealt with injuries and illness over the summer, withdrawing from the Paris Olympics with bronchitis and exiting the U.S. Open with a lower-back issue after her first-round win.
She begins play at the WTA Finals on Saturday against fourth-ranked Jasmine Paolini of Italy.
–Field Level Media
