Elena Rybakina describes Goran Ivanisevic as “a fun guy” and claims that “every day” she is learning something new from her coach.
After the world No. 6 concluded her WTA Finals run and also Billie Jean King Cup duties, her partnership with Novak Djokovic’s former coach officially started in the preseason.
For a month, the two were getting to know each other but also doing some major offseason work and preparation in Dubai.
On Thursday, they also debuted as a duo on the WTA Tour as Rybakina beat Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 6-2 6-3 at the United Cup in Perth before she and Alexander Shevchenko also defeated Ivonne Cavalle-Reimers and Alexander Shevchenko 7-6 (4) 6-7 (2) 10-7.
“We did a couple of weeks together. He’s a fun guy. I mean, still I cannot say much about our work. We definitely did some good preparation. Hopefully you will see it on the court,” the 2022 Wimbledon champion said when asked about her partnership with Ivanisevic.
Elena Rybakina© United Cup/Instagram – Fair Use
Rybakina: I’m learning every day
As a player, Ivanisevic won a Grand Slam. As a coach, the Croatian tennis legend had an extremely successful six-year partnership with Djokovic that resulted in 12 Majors.
Judging by the Kazakh’s words, he is already doing some big work in his new stint.
“Well, as I said, not so much time has passed. I’m getting some experience from him also as a player, how he used to prepare maybe for the matches, tournaments. Same as a coach… I’m learning every day. Hopefully it’s going to go well for both of us,” Rybakina added.
When Ivanisevic accepted to work with the 25-year-old, he highlighted that he felt she was one of the most talented players in the game and someone capable of winning multiple Grand Slams in the future.
In two weeks, the Australian Open starts and it will be interesting to see if he can guide Rybakina to her first triumph at Melbourne Park.
Tennis World USA