A troubling report has emerged of Goran Ivanisevic publicly ridiculing Stefanos Tsitsipas‘s tennis skills. Ivanisevic has been working with Tsitsipas ever so briefly during the grass court season. The partnership has not yet yielded positive results, and the Greek tennis player was forced to retire from his first round Wimbledon match with a back injury. Making matters worse, Tsitsipas has reportedly broken up with longtime girlfriend Paula Badosa since his Wimbledon exit.
What Goran Ivanisevic Said
Ivanisevic called Tsitsipas “unprepared” The 53-year-old Croatian and 2001 Wimbledon champion also said that he, despite having a bad knee, is more fit than Tsitsipas.
Goran Ivanisevic says he’s never seen a more unprepared player in his life than Stefanos Tsitsipas:
“He wants, but he doesn’t do anything. All ‘I want, I want’, but I don’t see that progress. I was shocked. I have never seen a more unprepared player in my life. With this knee,… pic.twitter.com/FqfbchuYLc
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) July 4, 2025
Did Ivanisevic Kill His Own Coaching Career?
Goran Ivanisevic coached Novak Djokovic from 2019 to 2024 and was an integral part of the team that helped Djokovic win nine Grand Slam titles. He briefly coached 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina earlier in 2025.
By publicly saying disparaging things about Tsitsipas, what player would want to hire Goran Ivanisevic to be part of his or her team? Even if what Ivanisevic said is true (and who knows if its is), it is unfair and disrespectful to air the dirty laundry.
Other coaches have ended relationships with players that they worked with on a trial and long-term basis, and they did not speak in such a way about the player.
Was Something Lost In Translation?
“I thought it was a joke”
Hall of famers shocked by Goran Ivanisevic’s critical comments towards Stefanos Tsitsipas 😳#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/ER4kdC9c8s
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) July 4, 2025
Tennis Channel’s Jim Courier believes there is more to the story, and that we are not seeing the full context of Ivanisevic’s comments which were spoken in Croatian. He thinks it could pertain to Tsitsipas’s health, but no one really knows for sure.
In the meantime, the two have not announced that their partnership is over so we will wait and see what transpires.
