Defending champion Elena Rybakina is showcasing a fair bit of resilience at the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open. Defeating Ons Jabeur in the previous round by 6-2,4-6,7-6(4), Rybakina has made it to the semis. But is she in the right frame of mind? “I’m trying to still keep the negative inside and focus on things I have to do. Yeah, not calm at all guys,” she said after the match against Jabeur. There have been a lot of things happening around Rybakina in the last few months. But the former pro-Jimmy Arias is optimistic about a new inclusion to her team.

What’s the turmoil Elena Rybakina has been facing in the last few months? In December 2024, she brought in Novak Djokovic’s former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, on a trial basis. Everything started quite normally as both expressed excitement about their new partnership. However, things got changed almost a month later! Elena Rybakina announced at the start of January that she wanted to bring her former coach Stefano Vukov back into her team- despite several reports claiming that Vukov was provisionally banned by the WTA.

Although, Vukov denied any wrongdoing and even Elena Rybakina said at that time that she had never made any complaint about him. However, with this announcement, Goran Ivanisevic’s future in her team became uncertain. So as expected, Ivanisevic decided to part ways with the Kazakh following her R4 exit from the 2025 Australian Open. He even shared an IG post with the caption, “After our trial period that finished with the Australian Open, I wish Elena and her team the best of luck moving forward.“

Speaking on this split, Elena Rybakina said, “It’s a normal part of my journey. That chapter is closed, and I’m looking forward to achieving new successes with my new coach.” However, since Vukov is provisionally suspended by the WTA and can’t coach her directly, she needed a second coach to step in and this is what led to the introduction of Davide Sanguinetti in her team. Speaking on this new addition to her team during the recent episode on the TC Live Podcast, Jimmy Arias said, “He’s (Sanguinetti) a tactician in a lot of ways. If you saw him play, there were no real weapons to speak of and he somehow had some really good results because he’s thinking out there.“

For the unversed, Davide Sanguinetti reached the QF of the Wimbledon Championships in 1998. As a coach, he previously worked with players like Dinara Safina, Brandon Nakashima, and many others. Talking about Sanguinetti’s role in Rybakina’s team, Arias hinted, “Rybakina is not known…she’s hitting the ball. She’s going big. We’ll see if she can add a little bit of the mental side of things.“

During a previous interview with the Mind Set Win Podcast, Rybakina revealed how she built a winning mentality that controls her on-court emotions and keeps her opponents guessing. She said, “I’m trying to be calm and not show if I’m upset or angry – no matter the situation.”

Despite a bit of coaching turmoil at the moment, Rybakina’s performance in Abu Dhabi has been quite impressive, but what does her new coach have to say about her chances of winning something big yet again?

Elena Rybakina’s new coach has already set some massive goals for her

Elena Rybakina last won a Grand Slam title at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Although she reached the final of the AO in 2023, she failed to make it count. It has been almost close to three years now since she last had a ‘major’ success in her career. How does Davide Sanguinetti see this partnership and what goals has he set for Elena Rybakina?

Well, recently during an interview with La Gazzetta, Sanguinetti said, “It is a new adventure that I face with a lot of passion and the desire to do well; there is more pressure because we must win, but I really like this. Elena is a player that I appreciate; her game has always fascinated me. In my opinion, she should have won more, especially at the Grand Slam level. Someone like her cannot settle for winning Wimbledon in 2022, and the goal is exactly that, to win another Grand Slam.“

The Italian also spoke about how Rybakina can still grow physically and gain more speed in her game. He believes Rybakina should be a bit more aggressive while going forward to the net. Sanguinetti also stressed how he’d like to work on the tactical side of her game.

In the same interview with La Gazzetta, Sanguinetti spoke about his relationship with Stefano Vukov as well. He added, “Vukov and Elena are close, he will always be there. Stefano and I talk a lot, we are on the same wavelength: it’s not a problem to have two coaches, it’s almost a trend now.”

Elena Rybakina will next face Belinda Bencic in the SF of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Open. Can Vukov and Sanguinetti help her defend her title in Abu Dhabi? Share your thoughts in the comments below.