Goran Ivanisevic: "I am, for the moment, here."
Snarled into the Rybakina-Vukov controversy, Ivanisevic tells Bounces his status.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Goran Ivanisevic didn’t want to say much, but his unhappiness at being made into an awkward third wheel on the bumpiest ride in tennis came through loud and clear.
“Really—it’s not good for anybody,” Ivanisevic told Bounces Tuesday at the Australian Open.
Ivanisevic’s hands appear clean in an otherwise supremely messy situation that has mucked up the start of the season for one of the top players in women’s tennis, and for the WTA as an organization.
Here’s a simplified version of recent events for those of you who have not followed this story:
The Ivanisevic-Rybakina-Vukov Snarl, Untangled
Ivanisevic was hired two months ago by sixth-ranked Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, to be her new coach for the 2025 season. But last week, during their first tournament together, Rybakina announced that her former coach, Stefano Vukov, was rejoining her team.
“Hello everyone, I am excited to announce that Stefano will be joining the team for the 2025 season,” Rybakina wrote in an Instastory. “Thank you all for the support. And wishing you a great 2025.”
Vukov had coached Rybakina from 2019 until a few days before the 2024 U.S. Open, when Rybakina abruptly posted that they were “no longer working together.”
Rumors soon began to spread that Vukov, whose treatment of Rybakina had often discomfited observers, had been banned by the WTA. At the time, the WTA did not respond to inquiries—including from myself—seeking confirmation of a possible ban of Vukov.
But after Rybakina announced Vukov’s return last week, Russian reporter Sofya Tartakova reported that Vukov told her there was “no ban.” This was false, it turned out, and the misleading public statement caused the WTA to break its silence on the confidential ban that had forced Vukov off the tour.
“The WTA can confirm that Stefano Vukov is currently under a provisional suspension pending an independent investigation into a potential breach of the WTA Code of Conduct,” a WTA spokesperson told Charlie Eccleshare and Matt Futterman of The Athletic a few days ago.
That independent investigation, according to those with knowledge of it, could be resolved any day now. Rybakina has stood by Vukov, and denied that he has “mistreated” her at any time.
There’s a lot to unpack in this story, and I will have a deeper discussion of the many issues this case raises very soon here at Bounces.
But firstly, in this post, I want to focus on Ivanisevic, and my brief conversation with him today at the Australian Open that yielded his first public comments on this situation.
An Interview with Ivanisevic
The report in The Athletic did not have any quotes or comment from Ivanisevic, but said that he had been “blindsided by Rybakina’s announcement.”
I first asked Ivanisevic if that characterization of “blindsiding” was accurate; Ivanisevic demurred, with evident deflation.
“Listen, the investigation is still on, so we wait for WTA to finish, and then I can talk about everything,” Ivanisevic told Bounces. “But until then… I spoke to Elena; I told her what I think.”
Ivanisevic then acknowledged that his tenure is tenuous, suggesting that his remaining with Rybakina was contingent on the WTA’s ruling regarding Vukov.
“I am, for the moment, here,” Ivanisevic told Bounces. “What's going to happen in a couple of days, I don't know. But for the moment, I am here. Hopefully I will stay, and hopefully everything is going to be OK. But let's take day by day.”
When I again asked about the suggestion he had been “blindsided,” Ivanisevic didn’t refute or confirm that.
“Listen, I don't want to…—heh,” he said. “It's a very strange situation. So I don't want to, really. I can talk to you after WTA makes the decision, and then we can.”
Ivanisevic said he wasn’t sure when the conclusion of the investigation would ultimately be.
“We're hearing every day different things,” Ivanisevic said. “But hopefully, [by] the end of this week.”
My last question to Ivanisevic was to confirm that a conclusion that re-installed Vukov as a permitted coach would cause him to depart his role on Rybakina’s team.
“I mean, let's put it this way: I'm here,” Ivanisevic said. “I just want to wait for WTA; I think it's fair. And then, we'll see what's going to be next. Still, I don't want to go too much into the future. It's today, Tuesday. Let's stay in Tuesday.”
Thanking him for his time, I then let Ivanisevic continue what he was unexpectedly doing—watching Emilio Nava and Tomas Barrios Vera play their first round qualifying match out on the Australian Open’s Court 13—in whatever currently counts as peace for him.
How Ivanisevic Got Here
Ivanisevic, a popular champion and Hall of Famer who has established himself as one of the best coaches in professional tennis, is unlikely collateral damage in this debacle.
Now 53, Ivanisevic’s playing career peaked 23 years ago when he won a long-awaited major title as a wildcard, finally winning a Wimbledon final on his fourth try in 2001, one of the great underdog triumphs in tennis history.
Once he transitioned into coaching about a dozen years after hanging up his racquet, Ivanisevic proved himself repeatedly. He first guided his Croatian compatriot Marin Cilic to a stunning 2014 U.S. Open title. After later stints with Tomas Berdych and Milos Raonic, Ivanisevic coached Novak Djokovic to his nine most recent major titles, increasing Djokovic’s already-gaudy major haul by sixty percent, from 15 to 24.
Djokovic’s run of mid-30s dominance under Ivanisevic catapulted him from 3rd to 1st in most major men’s singles titles won all-time, as well as topping myriad other statistical records.
Djokovic and Ivanisevic amicably stopped working together in March 2024, part of a gradual turnover of nearly everyone who had been on Djokovic’s team.
Seven months later, Rybakina made the unexpected revelation during a pre-tournament press conference at the WTA Finals in Riyadh that Ivanisevic, who had never before worked with a WTA player, would be her new coach.
“I’m just looking forward,” Rybakina said then of working with Ivanisevic. “It’s something new for me. Also, I’ve been with one coach for long time. I want to learn. Yeah, really happy and we will see what we can do together.”
Rybakina and Ivanisevic, who had been initially linked up by agents, trained for the 2025 season together in Dubai last month.
When the season began, Ivanisevic was decked out in patriotic turquoise as he sat on the Team Kazakhstan bench as an in-form and buoyant Rybakina led her adopted country to the United Cup semifinals.
Before Rybakina broke the news of Vukov’s possible return, Ivanisevic’s former charge Djokovic had given the pairing his blessing last week during a press conference in Brisbane, saying that he and Ivanisevic had enjoyed Rybakina—“the way she plays and how she is as a person”—during their own time together.
“When Goran used to work with me, we always liked to watch her play,” Djokovic said last week. “So I was happy to hear the news that they are together. Hopefully Goran can contribute in a positive way to her game, to her success. I mean, she's a top player. She’s won a Grand Slam already, and she knows how that feels. I’m sure she's hungry for more and she seems to be very motivated. She started off the season, I saw, with a couple of good wins. So I wish them all the best.”
Djokovic said that Ivanisevic seemed to be adjusting to life on the WTA Tour for the first time. “I texted Goran the other day…I asked him how it feels and everything, and it's a bit different for him,” Djokovic said. “But he’s pumped to help her out, and hopefully we can see them lifting some big trophies together.”
Days after Djokovic’s expression of optimism, it’s unclear if the Ivanisevic- Rybakina partnership will even last until the imminent start of the Australian Open main draw on Sunday.
In the meantime, Rybakina’s preparations for the year’s first major have continued, and Ivanisevic has remained present. On Tuesday at Melbourne Park, shortly before speaking with Bounces, Ivanisevic stood beside the net on Rod Laver Arena as Rybakina played practice sets with Emma Raducanu.
Rybakina seemed to have lost their first set; the score was unclear.
Thank you for reading Bounces! To support my reporting at the 2025 Australian Open and beyond, please consider becoming a subscriber. -Ben
Can't wait to read what else you write on this topic - it feels very important. Seems like the conversation around the dynamics between coaches and WTA players could certainly use more attention. I always appreciate how you don't turn away from the important, but potentially politically disruptive, issues at hand. Thank you!
Thanks Ben for providing Goran's opinion on the matter!
It's funny to now listen to the irascible Ivanisevic of the 90's providing the sensible words. I guess that's maturity that comes with age.