Goran Ivanisevic will follow Elena Rybakina starting from the winter preparation. Novak Djokovic’s former coach will move from the ATP to the WTA Tour, becoming the new coach of the 2001 Wimbledon champion: a decision that left Andy Roddick stunned (but not too much!), who analyzed the new partnership in an interview with Tennis Channel.
“I was surprised, but I shouldn’t have been. I think we’ve become a little bit narrow-minded because Goran has only worked with men, so we weren’t considering him for the women’s tour. But if you think about it beyond my ignorance, they’re both great servants. And then what does Rybakina need now? Maybe even a little bit of lightness in her box with someone who actually has a sense of humor every now and then. So it seems like an incredible combination. When you get to a certain level, you want to talk to someone who’s been there before. We’ve seen a lot of experienced coaches who have won Slams take others on that journey, so this pairing makes a lot of sense. And it’s exciting, too,” said Roddick.
The Kazakh has ended her collaboration with Stefano Vukov, her coach for five years, and in Riyadh, where she’s currently competing in the WTA Finals, she announced the start of her relationship with Goran Ivanisevic, calling him a great champion with a lot of experience.
