Elena Rybakina is not opposed to the idea of being a coach one day but highlights that she probably won’t be one to travel full-time with someone.
While in Miami, the Kazakh tennis star met with Caroline Garcia, Maria Sakkari and Jasmine Paolini. And the four tennis stars joined forces for the latest episode of the Frenchwoman’s podcast.
At one point, they started discussing the prospect of coaching after their pro careers were over. That’s when Rybakina hinted that she may return as a coach one day on the Tour before adding that she also wouldn’t have anything against coaching kids.
“I could see myself maybe not traveling full-time with someone, but coaching a junior, an older player, or a professional. Teaching small kids would also be nice, but it’s hard to say what I’ll do in the future,” the 25-year-old said on The Tennis Insider Club.
Rybakina was also asked which played she would want as her coach.
“I have no idea, that’s a tough one,” the 2022 Wimbledon champion replied.
Rybakina’s own coaching situation has been a messy one lately
As you probably know, there has been a lot of drama about the Kazakh’s coaching situation over the past half a year. After splitting with Stefano Vukov and bringing in Goran Ivanisevic, she abruptly returned Vukov to her team at the start of 2025. That didn’t sit well with Ivanisevic, who left the team after only two tournaments.
Since then, the WTA slapped Vukov, 37, with a one-year ban from coaching and Rybakina reacted by adding Dinara Safina’s former coach Davide Sanguinetti to her team. In February, Sanguinetti told Italian media that he had no issues with the 37-year-old and that he would be fine with coaching the Kazakh alongside him.
Meanwhile, it is a well-known thing that Rybakina was extremely frustrated with the WTA over their handling of the Vukov case and their verdict.
Tennis World USA