Goran Ivanisevic was in no mood to apologize when discussing the end of his short-lived collaboration with Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The 2001 Wimbledon winner began working with Tsitsipas after the 2025 French Open. After being coached by his father for several years, there was much excitement about his partnering with a former Grand Slam champion.
Ivanisevic's spell with Elena Rybakina from November 2024 until the 2025 Australian Open was cut short because the Kazakhstani desired to work with her banned former coach, Stefano Vukov, but he had a very successful period of almost five years with Novak Djokovic before that.
Unfortunately, Ivanisevic's time with Tsitsipas ended similarly to his spell with Rybakina. The ATP Greek No. 1 announced they had parted ways after less than two months together. He thanked Ivanisevic in a respectful statement and wished him well.
However, Tsitsipas's pleasantries in the announcement contrasted with separate remarks he recently made about not wanting to work with dictators and valuing a friendly atmosphere in his team, comments that seemed to be aimed squarely at Ivanisevic.
They were likely in response to Ivanisevic's savage public criticism of Tsitsipas a few weeks ago. The 53-year-old slammed him for not preparing properly, talking about wanting to be better without backing it up, and also derided his fitness.
Many felt Ivanisevic went too far with his comments, but he did not back down in an interview with Croatia's HRT. The former world No. 2 revealed he told Tsitsipas the same things behind the scenes and felt the comments were blown out of proportion.
"I didn't insult him... I told him all that, it's not like I said it behind his back. Now it turns out that you're not even allowed to say anything anymore. Unfortunately, that's how it is, everyone sees it. He feels it himself, and he knows it. If you're not physically or mentally ready, especially mentally, to play a few hours with the best, then you have no chance.”
Ivanisevic also confirmed that Tsitsipas has decided to work with his father again. Although he thinks that is the right decision for him, the Croatian told Tsitsipas he cannot improve without resolving some things in his head.
“He decided to try again with his dad. I honestly, most sincerely mean this: The only person who can coach him is his dad. He played the best tennis with him. He knows him best, it's a family project."
“It's the best decision. I wish him all the best, he's too good a player to be where he is. Yesterday, I told him that nothing will change if he doesn't sort out some things in his head himself.”
Despite his cutting comments a few weeks ago, Ivanisevic seems to have Tsitsipas's best interests at heart. The two-time Grand Slam runner-up admitted to struggling with anxiety before retiring from his opening-round match at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships.
His widely reported split from Paula Badosa probably heightened that. Although neither player has officially spoken about it, the wide reporting of the story and their withdrawal from the 2025 US Open mixed doubles indicates they are no longer together.
Write a comment
Popular News
Just In
