Djokovic Gives His Take On Ex-Coach Ivanisevic Teaming Up With Rybakina
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Novak Djokovic's former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, now works with Elena Rybakina, and the Serbian player shared his thoughts about his ex-coach's career shift.
Ivanisevic was an ATP player himself. He won the 2001 Wimbledon Championships, and after a successful playing career, he set out to become a coach as well.
The Croatian worked with fellow compatriot Marin Cilic, but also with Tomas Berdych and Milos Raonic before teaming up with Novak Djokovic, who he worked with for over five years. Those years were among the most successful in Djokovic's career.
In March 2024, the two parted ways, following what was a really successful partnership. For quite some time, neither started working with someone else, as both took time.
In October 2024, WTA player Elena Rybakina announced that she started working with Ivanisevic as her coach, which was a surprising development, given that the 53-year-old Croatian never worked with a WTA player before.
The ongoing United Cup is the first tournament for Rybakina under Ivanisevic, and she has yet to lose a match, leading Kazakhstan to the semi-final stages of the tournament.
Djokovic has also started his new season, competing at the 2025 Brisbane International. During his stay at the event, the 37-year-old Serbian was also asked about his former coach.
The 24-time major winner revealed that even when Ivanisevic still coached him, they liked to watch Rybakina's matches, which is why he was happy about his ex-coach joining the Kazakhstani player's team.
"Well, I was actually happy, because we talked about -- you know, we actually like Rybakina, the way she plays and how she is as a person. When Goran used to work with me, we always liked to watch her play. So I was happy to hear the news that they are together."
"Hopefully Goran can contribute in a positive way to her game, to her success. I mean, she's a top player. She's won a Grand Slam already, and she knows how that feels. I'm sure she's hungry for more and she seems to be very motivated."
"She started off the season, I saw, with a couple of good wins. So I wish them all the best. You know, I texted Goran the other day. He hasn't worked; I don't think he's ever worked on the WTA Tour."
It seems that Djokovic even got to talk to Ivanisevic, saying he asked him about the split. His former coach told him that it was something new for him, but at the same time, he was excited about a new challenge on the WTA Tour.
"So I asked him how it feels and everything, and it's a bit different for him, but he's pumped to help her out, and hopefully we can see them lifting some big trophies together."
