Goran Ivanisevic's 'frosty' parting message to Elena Rybakina suggests rift after controversial Stefano Vukov return, says tennis insider

Tennis insider Jon Wertheim recently gave his thoughts on Elena Rybakina parting ways with new coach Goran Ivanisevic less than three months into their partnership. The news, by Wertheim's own admission, hardly comes as surprising, given how she reunited with her previous coach of five years, Stefano Vukov, towards the end of last year.

Following an injury-riddled 2024 season, Rybakina suffered another setback at the 2025 Australian Open as she went out to 19th-seeded Madison Keys in the Round of 16 on Monday (January 20). With her loss, the 2022 Wimbledon champion has now failed to reach the quarterfinals at the Happy Slam in five out of six main-draw appearances.

Ivanisevic, who had begun working with the 25-year-old in November 2024, subsequently announced on his Instagram stories the following day that his partnership with the World No. 7 came to an end following her fourth-round exit in Melbourne.

"After our trial period that finished with Australian Open, I wish Elena and her team best of luck moving forward," the Croat wrote.

Against that background, Jon Wertheim, one of the most prominent journalists in tennis, was asked to express his views on Elena Rybakina's split with the Croat while talking to Tennis Channel later on Tuesday (January 21). The American insinuated that the fact that the Kazakh may have rehired her former coach, Stefano Vukov, without telling Ivanisevic about it may have rubbed him the wrong way.

"We've seen coaches and players part ways before. That's a pretty frosty and business-like response from Goran that doesn't convey great warmth and affection. It's obviously a complicated situation," Jon Wertheim told Tennis Channel (from 1:00 onwards). "Goran [was] basically blindsided that the former coach was brought back into the fold. And not a surprise that Goran left."

---

Elena Rybakina is not in a "great situation", suggests Jon Wertheim

Elena Rybakina looks dejected at Australian Open (Source: Getty)

During the interaction with Tennis Channel, Jon Wertheim further expressed concerns for Elena Rybakina's Major-winning prospects after the fallout from her coaching fiasco.

"I think the real concern is that this is a top-flight player, a Major champion, this is someone who came within a few games to win this event two years ago," Jon Wertheim said about Elena Rybakina. "Never mind the tennis, it's just someone you get a feeling is not in a great situation."

There has been longstanding speculation in the tennis universe that Vukov, who first started coaching Rybakina in 2018, was "abusive" to her, especially considering how he was reported to the WTA for a breach in its Code of Conduct last year. Consequently, the women's governing body provisionally suspended him from representing tennis pros at tour-level events until the case's resolution.