Elena Rybakina finished her 2024 season on a high by defeating world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka at the WTA Finals in Riyadh.
That result came a week after Rybakina announced the appointment of fellow Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic as her coach for 2025.
Ivanisevic, who won at the All England Club in 2001, has previously guided Novak Djokovic, Marin Cilic and Tomas Berdych.
Rybakina’s move to hire Ivanisevic, who stopped working with Djokovic in March, is one former Australian Davis Cup captain John Fitzgerald endorses.
“He’s a funny guy, he loves the locker room, he’s popular and sometimes I think when they’re grinding out there week after week, they need a little bit of that,” Fitzgerald said on The AO Show Weekly podcast.
“She hasn’t reached her top end I don’t think over the last couple of years since that Wimbledon win. I love her game, she’s got variety. Sometimes it might be a good matchup having a man come in and bring a different perspective to a top woman’s game like that.”
Rybakina, the Wimbledon champion in 2022, has endured a challenging 2024 campaign, battling injury and illness for chunks of the season.
She managed to win three WTA 500 titles and reach the semifinals at Wimbledon, after advancing to the quarterfinals at Roland Garros.
Since Wimbledon, however, she has managed to play just five matches across three tournaments. The WTA Finals marked her first competitive outing since August.
Former doubles world No.1 Storm Hunter believes the coaching change will benefit the Australian Open 2023 finalist.
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“The biggest thing is a different perspective, a different voice and sometimes that’s all you need to click things into place,” said Hunter on the same podcast episode.
“She’s had a tough year, she’s had a lot of health issues, issues with the [previous] coach off court from what we’ve heard, and I think it’s exciting for her.
“Her game is so dangerous, she beat Sabalenka [on Thursday] and she really has that game to match it and defeat those top players. So, I think it’s just about getting her on the court, having that energy and that different perspective from the coaching [team].”
Fitzgerald is eager to see how Rybakina will benefit from her partnership with Ivanisevic, given what the Croatian has gotten out of his former proteges.
He believes she can get back to her best under Ivanisevic’s tutelage.
“Her results have not been as good as they should or could be. She’s a better player than where she’s been,” Fitzgerald said.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what she can bring to the table now with a new start and I love watching her. She’s one of my favourite women to watch.”
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