World No. 5 Elena Rybakina announced on Friday that she has hired Novak Djokovic’s former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, for the 2025 season.
Rybakina, 25, parted ways with 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 streak with Ivanisevic in March that included nine of his 24 Grand Slam titles.
Ivanisevic, 53, has won 22 times on the ATP Tour, including Wimbledon in 2001, and is inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
“I’m really looking forward to this partnership,” Rybakina told reporters ahead of the WTA Finals, which begin in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday. “I think he’s a great champion and he’s got a lot of experience, so I’m looking forward to starting.
“For me, it was important to get better. With the help of my agent, we connected and decided to start working. … Of course, it’s a big change, but I think it will be a good change.” ”
Ivanisevic commented on his new client on Instagram. “Excited to be back on tour. Now it’s time for some WTA action,” he wrote. “I’m happy to be joining Elena Rybakina’s team.”
Rybakina struggled with injuries and illness over the summer, withdrawing from the Paris Olympics with bronchitis and the US Open with back problems after winning her first match.
She will face No. 4 Jasmine Paolini of Italy in the WTA Finals on Saturday.
–Field level media
