Boris Becker has shared his thoughts on Goran Ivanisevic taking over as Elena Rybakina's new coach. The German humorously refered to Ivanisevic as his "old nemesis" on the court and wished him well.
Rybakina and her long-time coach, Stefano Vukov, parted ways after the 2024 US Open. Their partnership led to eight WTA titles, including the 2022 Wimbledon Championship. Since her exit in New York, she hasn’t competed in any tournaments and is currently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, preparing for the WTA Finals, set to take place from November 2 to 9, 2024. Her first round-robin match will be against Italy's Jasmine Paolini.
Following the announcement of Ivanisevic as Rybakina’s new coach, the six-time Grand Slam champion took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his thoughts on their partnership. He said the announcement was a surprise, calling the Croatian a good friend, and wished them well in their partnership.
“Wow …didn’t see this one coming but lots of luck to my old nemesis on the court and good buddy now! We don’t have to worry about holding serve with this partnership,” Boris Becker said about the partnership between Elena Rybakina and Goran Ivanisevic.
Becker and Ivanisevic's rivalry was intense during their playing years, as they faced off 19 times, with Becker winning 10 of those matches. The two also share similarities in their coaching careers with Novak Djokovic, as Becker coached Djokovic from 2013 to 2016, while Ivanisevic served as his coach from 2019 to 2024.
Elena Rybakina on Goran Ivanisevic appointment - “It's not going to be easy when you've worked with somebody for a long time”
While speaking to the press at the WTA Finals on Friday, Rybakina reflected on her successful five-year partnership with Stefano Vukov, which began when she was ranked 200. She is optimistic about working with Goran Ivanisevic but acknowledged that it wouldn’t be easy, given her long tenure with Vukov.
“I think we had incredible results over five years, we achieved a lot. I started with him when I was 200. Now it's the next chapter of my career and I want to make the next step. Of course, it's a big change but I think it's going to be a good change. Of course it's not going to be easy when you've worked with somebody for a long time, but we are good with Stefano. I just wish him the best in his new chapter," Elena Rybakina said.
In 2024, Rybakina had a strong start, winning titles at the Brisbane International, Abu Dhabi Open, and the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart however, she has faced challenges with injuries and illness this season, and she currently has a win-loss record of 41-9.