Elena Rybakina’s coaching situation has been quite the rollercoaster lately! She initially split with her coach of 5 years, Stefano Vukov, and then brought on board Novak Djokovic’s coach, Goran Ivanisevic. But things took a turn when she brought Vukov back, leading to Ivanisevic’s departure. And now, after an early exit from the Australian Open, it looks like Rybakina is making another change to her coaching team.

Rybakina is currently making a strong bid to defend her Mubadala Abu Dhabi Open title! She’s already powered her way into the semis with impressive wins over Katie Volynets and Ons Jabeur. With 8 WTA singles titles under her belt, she’s definitely hungry for her 9th. Despite her success, she sometimes gets labeled a “one-slam wonder.”

While she had a fantastic first half of 2024, including Brisbane and Abu Dhabi, the second half of her season was unfortunately plagued by setbacks. She had to retire from the Paris Olympics with bronchitis, the US Open with an unspecified injury, and then the Asia swing with a back injury. And, as if that wasn’t enough, she also dealt with quite a bit of coaching drama.

With Goran Ivanisevic out, Davide Sanguinetti is stepping in. Sanguinetti, who coached Dinara Safina back in 2011 and 2012 and recently parted ways with Brandon Nakashima, is hoping to guide another player to the top. Elena Rybakina, currently ranked fifth in the world (and having reached as high as number 3), brings a Wimbledon title from 2022 to the partnership.

The 52-year-old Italian has set some high goals, he told La Gazzetta, “This is a new adventure that I approach with great passion and a strong desire to do well. There is more pressure because winning is a must, but I really like that.”

Admiring Rybakina, he said, “Elena is a player I admire; I have always been fascinated by her game. In my opinion, she should have won more, especially at the Grand Slam level. Someone like her cannot be satisfied with just winning Wimbledon.”

Before Ivanisevic, Rybakina was with long-time coach Stefano Vukov. Their partnership lasted from 2019 to August 2024. However, on January 1, Rybakina announced that Vukov would be re-joining her for the 2025 season. That wasn’t the only twist. Soon after they announced their reunion, the WTA suspended Vukov. This occurred due to an ongoing investigation into a code of conduct violation. As a result, Vukov was unable to join Rybakina at the Australian Open.

The WTA has yet to reveal the findings of its investigation. In the meantime, the tennis star didn’t shy away from defending Vukov through the controversy.

Rybakina stood by suspended coach as she eyes strong season ahead

The bond we see between coaches and players is a unique one. Players often change coaches to reset their approach or refine their game. Several top players started the new season with coaching changes: Iga Swiatek with Wim Fissette, Novak Djokovic teamed up with Andy Murray, Naomi Osaka teamed up with Patrick Mouratoglou, and Coco Gauff with Matt Daly.

Speaking to AFP at the Abu Dhabi Open, Elena Rybakina revealed that she and Sanguinetti are communicating with Vukov. In response to Vukov’s suspension, Rybakina expressed her support, calling him “an important person” in her career.

“We started when I was ranked around 200 in the world. He’s helped me a lot—both on and off the court,” she added. The current World No. 4 expressed disappointment with the WTA’s decision and said, “It’s not ideal that he cannot be on the practice courts.”

Despite it all, Rybakina remains optimistic, expressing trust in her team. She said, “I hope it’s going to work out. We have a good team.” The entire team has shown excitement and positivity for the coming season.