“I’m really looking forward to this partnership,” said Elena Rybakina while announcing her alliance with Goran Ivanisevic. The former coach of tennis legend Novak Djokovic recently teamed up with the Kazakhstani player. After going through a stressful period lately, Elena has finally found someone who can actually lift up her spirits. This is something a former WTA pro also believes while reflecting on the negative impact on Rybakina caused by her former trainer.

Just few days ago, Elena Rybakina shared the massive news regarding her partnership with Ivanisevic. Following various rumors and speculations on who would be her next coach, she revealed the official update during a press conference ahead of the WTA Finals. Sharing her excitement to work with Goran, the young tennis sensation said, “I think he’s a great champion and he has so much experience and I’m looking forward to start. For me, it was important to get better and with the help of the agents we connected and we just decided to start working. So I’m really looking forward.”

Recently, former WTA player Rennae Stubbs shared her honest thoughts on Rybakina’s association with Goran. In of the latest episodes of The Rennae Stubbs Podcast, she said the new trainer will prove to be immensely better than Stefano Vukov, Elena’s former coach. “Yeah, I think it’s good because he, first of all, he’s gonna be 8,000 times more positive than the dude before, which we know how we felt about him. And Goran has, of course, been there and done that,” said Stubbs.

While comparing Goran’s temperament with Vukov’s, Rennae said that the latter wasn’t right for the player. She pointed that “one of the things that irked me about the previous coach, I’m not even gonna say his name, is that every time she would look up in big moments, he would be gesturing, he would be, you know, she would miss a forehand, and he would be like, you know, gesturing negatively, be talking to the people around him.” Per Stubbs, “every time he would be out there, he’d be just gesturing and looking like he wanted to kill her every time she lost a point.” But Goran “on the other hand, is going to be positive. He’s going to understand what it feels like to be vulnerable. He’s going to be empathetic.”

Meanwhile, Rybakina’s return to competitive tennis hasn’t turned out to be fruitful following her team-up with Goran. In the ongoing WTA Finals, the Kazakh has failed to deliver her best.

Elena Rybakina fails to shine in the WTA Finals

In Riyadh, the former World No.5 couldn’t maintain consistency in her performances. Despite showing glimpses of her confidence and good movement over the court, Rybakina lost both her round-robin games. While the first defeat came against Italy’s Jasmine Paolini, the second loss was against China’s Qinweng Zheng. Not to mention that the Kazakh is now out of the semifinals race as well.

But the player is now focusing more on her health and overall well-being rather than thinking too much about the WTA Finals. Reflecting on her 2024 journey so far, Elena said, “This year I had a lot of ups and downs, starting with sleep problems, like insomnia. When you have such a rhythm, it’s not easy to stop. After I got used to some rest, it was really nice. Again, it’s not easy to start after this break. But I’m happy with the work we did in the last two weeks. Of course, I’m not maybe at my 100%. Yeah, I’m just looking forward and happy to be healthy now and start playing.”

Rybakina will now look forward to start the next season in 2025 on a high with Goran on her side. As far as her stint at the WTA Finals is concerned, she will face Aryna Sabalenka in her last match on November 6th. Although there’s no hope for a SF birth, Elena will try to end the campaign on a winning note. But will she succeed in upsetting the current World No.1 who’s in a dominant form? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.