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Natalia Zabiiako broke a bit of news on her otherwise slice-of-life vlog following girlfriend Daria Kasatkina through what has been a tumultuous start to her 2023 season, revealing the world No. 8 split with Carlos Martinez—her coach of four years.

“I often changed coached, partners even more—I mean on the ice,” joked the former Olympic figure skater.

“Of course it was scary,” Kasatkina admitted. “To end such a long relationship—working relationship!—it was hard. We worked almost four years together. It’s a little scary during the season, when you don’t know a person and you start working during the tournament.”

The person in question is former ATP player Flavio Cipolla, who was seen in the stands alongside Zabiiako and Kasatkina’s brother Alexandr at the Qatar TotalEnergies Open.

Kasatkina and Cipolla began a trial arrangement just before the start of the Middle East Swing in the hopes of turning around a season that has seen her reach a final in Adelaide but only win back-to-back matches once in five tournaments.

“It turned out that the first trial training was already on the day of the match,” added Zabiiako, implying the switch from Martinez was more abrupt than Kasatkina had intended.

“It’s difficult for me and the coach,” Kasatkina resumed. “He doesn’t know me. I don’t know him. He is not sure what he should say to me, or what he shouldn’t, and do I want to be told something. I don’t know how he works, so yes, that’s hard.

“That’s why if you change the coach, it’s better to do it at the end of the season, before pre-season, or when there is at least some kind of training bloc, so you can get to know each other. There are different situations, unplanned, like this, that’s hard, but whatever is done for the best.”

Kasatkina and Zabiiako next head to Dubai where the former will feature as the No. 7 seed at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.