Goran Ivanisevic has addressed his split with Elena Rybakina after their trial period came to an end following the Australian Open. The retired former world No. 2 joined forces with Rybakina ahead of the off-season but their partnership was cut short when Ivanisevic found himself in a “sad and strange” situation.
On New Year’s Day, Rybakina suddenly announced that her ex-coach Stefano Vukov was returning to her team while she was still working with Ivanisevic. It quickly emerged that Vukov had been provisionally suspended by the WTA pending an investigation, and the women’s tour ultimately upheld the suspension.
Rybakina split with Vukov ahead of the US Open. She played just one match at the tournament before withdrawing and did not play another match until the season-ending WTA Finals in Riyadh.
When she turned up in Riyadh, the world No. 8 announced her exciting new partnership with Ivanisevic, a former Wimbledon champion who has also coached the likes of Novak Djokovic and Marin Cilic.
The pair were spotted training together during the off-season and Ivanisevic joined Rybakina in Australia for the United Cup at the start of the season – when she suddenly announced Vukov’s return.
Ivanisevic continued to coach the 2022 Wimbledon champion during the Australian Open, though he was reportedly “blindsided” by her decision to bring Vukov back. Soon after Rybakina lost in the fourth round, Ivanisevic confirmed they would be parting ways.
The Croatian player-turned-coach has now opened up on their split during an interview with former footballer Slaven Bilic on (Ne)uspjeh prvaka.
“It was a bit strange,” he confessed. “I won’t talk much about it, but I can say that it’s a bit of a sad and strange story.
“I consider her, even before I became her coach, at least for me, to be the best tennis player in the world. She plays the most beautifully, she plays the simplest and I really enjoyed it.”
However, Ivanisevic couldn’t continue following some off-court issues.
He added: “Unfortunately, some things happened off the court that I couldn’t control and I didn’t want to be a part of that and part of that story and then I decided that it was best to quit. I wish her all the best in her career.”
Ivanisevic’s brief stint with Rybakina was overshadowed by news of the WTA’s independent investigation into Vukov. He was provisionally suspended over an alleged breach of the WTA’s Code of Conduct.
Rybakina continued to publicly defend Vukov and expressed her dissatisfaction with the investigation. In February, the women’s tennis tour confirmed that Vukov’s ban had been upheld.
“Following this process, the suspension remains in place,” the WTA said in a statement.
“To protect the confidentiality and integrity of the investigation and its findings, the WTA will not provide further details.
“We remain committed to ensuring that all matters are handled in a fair and objective manner in accordance with the WTA Code of Conduct.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk