Elena Rybakina Adds New Coach Ahead of Abu Dhabi Open Title Defense
Elena Rybakina has made a coaching change ahead of her title defense at the Abu Dhabi Open, which begins tomorrow. The Kazakh star, who enters as the top seed, will now work with Davide Sanguinetti.
Sanguinetti may not be the most well-known name, but he has previously coached Vince Spadea, Dinara Safina, and more recently, Brandon Nakashima. However, this new partnership comes with some complications, as Rybakina’s longtime coach Stefano Vukov remains in contact with both her and Sanguinetti despite his current suspension.
The coaching shake-up follows a turbulent period for Rybakina. She briefly worked with Goran Ivanisevic, but their partnership ended after just a month, coinciding with the return of Vukov, who was subsequently suspended due to an ongoing WTA investigation into Code of Conduct breaches.
Speaking to AFP’s Reem Abulleil, Rybakina admitted frustration over the situation.
“I don’t know much. It is a situation that I am not happy with, but it is what it is. For now, I don’t know much,” she said.
Regarding her split from Ivanisevic, Rybakina acknowledged the difficulty of finding the right coaching dynamic.
“We just sat down, talked, and decided to go our separate ways. But as I said, I think I learned a lot. It is not easy to find a good collaboration. It takes time, but that was our decision. We will see how this year goes for me.
“I’m not such an easy player. People think, ‘Oh, it’s easier with her.’ It’s not really like this. But we will see how this year goes.”
During her interview, Rybakina confirmed that she has been working with Sanguinetti, with Vukov still offering some input remotely.
“We are working with Davide. We just did one week of preparation with him, and actually, Stefano a little bit. I knew [Sanguinetti] a little bit from before, so he was actually available. Sometimes he would speak with Stefano. We will see how it goes. But for now, I’m happy with the way we worked this week.”
Addressing the ongoing situation with Vukov’s suspension, Rybakina expressed dissatisfaction with how it has been handled.
“I think safeguarding is important, but in our case, I don’t think it was handled well. I think you need to listen to the player—that’s the most important.
“They’re making comments without knowing me or him, and it’s just making a bad move for everyone.”
As she prepares to begin her campaign in Abu Dhabi, Rybakina will be looking to maintain focus despite the uncertainty surrounding her coaching setup.
