'I’m not such an easy player...' - Elena Rybakina breaks silence on her short-lived partnership with coach Goran Ivanisevic

Tennis sensation Elena Rybakina has acknowledged that she can be a "stubborn" player, which might have led to her small coaching stint with Goran Ivanisevic. The 25-year-old has recently announced that Davide Sanguinetti, who is a former Italian player, has joined her coaching staff.

The Moscow-born tennis star has begun working with Goran Ivanisevic in the offseason, and he was with her during the 2025 Australian Open and United Cup stint earlier this year. Just after the conclusion of the 2022 Wimbledon Championship, they announced their separation.The star player revealed that they both sat down and ended up with the decision to part ways after her early setback from the first Grand Slam of the year. The 25-year-old star player affirmed that she has learnt a lot from the collaboration but that it isn't easy to find a good partnership and that it also takes much time.

Rybakina feels that she might not be as easy to work with as some people think, and she confirmed that she can be stubborn on the court.

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"We just sat down, we talked, and we decided to go our separate ways. But I think I learnt a lot and it’s not easy to find a good collaboration... It of course takes time and everything but that was our decision. We’ll see how this year goes for me. I’m also not such an easy player, maybe like some people think, 'Oh, it’s easy with her’, or something, but it’s not really like this. I can be sometimes stubborn on the court, stubborn on some things; that’s at least my honest opinion," Elena Rybakina said.

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Where is Rybakina currently playing?

Elena Rybakinadefeated Ons Jabeur in the quarterfinal of theAbu Dhabi Open 2025 and made it to the top four. The world number six toppled Jabeur with a scoreline of 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 to enter the semi-finals. The star player is now set to face Belinda Bencic in the semi-finals of the WTA event.

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