"I would like to see Rybakina finish the year among the top six"

Fernando Murciego | 4 Aug 2025 | 19.03

Davide Sanguinetti working with Elena Rybakina. Source: Getty

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At this point in the season, knowing her history and the potential she has in her racket, we can affirm that Elena Rybakina's 2025 is not going as well as expected. It is true that she won the title in Strasbourg, has reached several semifinals, and even this week is seen as one of the main candidates to make a statement at the WTA 1000 event in Canada, but seeing her outside the top 10 is still something we are not used to. Davide Sanguinetti is the person currently leading the project, someone we interviewed a few months ago and who, on this occasion, gave interesting statements in the Supertennis channel.

Retired since the 2008 season, it has not been long since the Italian made the move to coaching and embarked on a new adventure from the other side of the court. Mostly working on the men's circuit, now choosing to coach a woman was quite a risk for Davide, a new formula that he is still getting used to, as the former player explains in the mentioned piece. With an ease in communication and a charisma that quickly connects, Sanguinetti discusses how this process is going and where he thinks his player's limit is.

"There are differences, of course," affirms the coach when asked about the disparities between the ATP and WTA circuits. "I would say that with the girls, you need to be a bit more sensitive, you need a different approach to communicate and address things. In my case, I am still new, learning and adapting to each tournament that passes. In Rybakina's case, I joined the team in February without having ever worked with her, so she explained the work she had done recently, and I asked her for a couple of years to implement my own method. In the first year, I would like to maintain the status quo, perhaps finish among the top six in the rankings, then take her to number one in the rankings. She has all the potential," he asserts confidently.

ITALY, LEADING THE CIRCUIT

Another topic that Davide can never escape is Italian tennis, although this question is one that everyone gets, regardless of where you were born. Simply put, we are facing a highly interesting reality, a feat that will be studied over time, the achievement of how a country like Italy went from having a secondary role in this sport to becoming one of the main contenders in all aspects, including the most crucial, the results. With a total of 13 players inside the top 200 on the men's side, Sanguinetti takes the opportunity to list the main players and, in passing, give them amusing nicknames.

"Right now everyone asks me what Italian tennis players eat, and I always respond: Magic bread!" says the former world number 42 with a chuckle. "Jokes aside, the truth is that many new guys are emerging on the circuit, each with their own style of play and personality. I see Jannik Sinner as a war machine, Lorenzo Musetti as Van Gogh, Flavio Cobolli as Billy the Kid for his arm speed, while Luciano Darderi could be 'The Thing' from the Fantastic Four, leaving Matteo Arnaldi in the role of Mr. Fantastic. And let's not forget Matteo Berrettini, even if he's not currently at his best," he concludes.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, “Me gustaría ver a Rybakina terminar el año entre las seis primeras”