World number five Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan on Friday announced the appointment of Novak Djokovic’s former coach Goran Ivanisevic for the 2025 season.
Rybakina, 25, split from her 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 starting Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “I think he’s a great champion and has a lot of experience, and I’m eager to get started.
“For me, it was important to get better, and with the help of agents, we connected and we 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 to be back on Tour. This time, time for some WTA action,” she wrote. “Elena Rybakina, pleased to join your team.”
Rybakina struggled with injuries and illness over the summer, withdrawing from the Paris Olympics due to bronchitis and pulling out of the US Open with a lower back problem following her first-round win.
She will start playing in the WTA final on Saturday against fourth-ranked Jasmine Paolini of Italy.
–Field Level Media
