After splitting from top athlete Novak Djokovic, coach Goran Ivanisevic said he “needed a U-turn” and decided to train with 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, even though he had never imagined himself coaching on the WTA Tour.
In the past, Ivanisevic, who also won Wimbledon in 2001 as a player, has only coached male athletes including Tomas Berdych, Marin Cilic, and Milos Raonic. Moreover, the Croatian coach assisted Djokovic in winning nine of his 24 Grand Slam titles. He was now appointed to guide Rybakina, currently ranked fifth in the world, for the 2025 campaign.
With this shift, Ivanisevic admitted: “I know that many people found it odd and that people were surprised by our collaboration, but not me – I needed a U-turn after Novak… I won everything with Novak, so I am extremely looking forward to this new challenge. Honestly, during my time on the ATP Tour, I never pictured myself on the women’s tour, but I don’t see myself in men’s tennis at the moment.”
Source: Reuters