Goran Ivanisevic has revealed that he ‘knew after the second day of training’ with Stefanos Tsitsipas that their relationship as coach and player would not last or succeed.
A day after the Greek’s shock loss to Matteo Gigante at last May’s French Open, it was announced that he was partnering up with the 2001 Wimbledon winner.
Tsitsipas had been previously coached by his father, but the pair went their separate ways in the middle of both 2023 and 2024.
After the first split, the former world No 3 had hired Australian former world No 8 Mark Philippoussis, before splitting two months later.
Similarly, Ivanisevic joined Tsitsipas for just two grass-court tournaments.
“I knew after the second day of training [that it would not succeed],” revealed Ivanisevic during an interview with Sportklub.
“When he came to Zagreb to try rackets, I understood that it wouldn’t work out. In the end, I didn’t say anything bad; everything I stated was true and proved to be so.
“After Wimbledon, I advised him to take four months off because it wasn’t just a physical issue but also mental.
“He remains a phenomenal player, he was and still is, but those are just details. In today’s tennis, you can’t compete without being mentally prepared.
“I had similar problems myself when I dropped to 128th place in the rankings. In any case, everything is fine.
“We met in Doha and greeted each other normally. The issue was exaggerated; he said some things that we won’t delve into, but everything is in order, and we move forward.”
On their debut, the Greek two-time Grand Slam finalist fell to American Alex Michelsen 7-6(5), 7-5 in the second round of Halle.
Two weeks later, Tsitsipas would retire in his opening Wimbledon match against world No 113 Valentin Royer, whilst down 6-2, 6-2, due to ongoing back pain.
Overall, their collaboration produced two losses and a sole victory.
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Shortly after the separation was officially announced, Ivanisevic launched a scathing assessment of his former student.
“It’s simple and it’s not easy,” the former Wimbledon champion told Sport Klub.
“I’ve talked to him many times. If he solves some things outside of tennis, then he has a chance and he’ll return to where he belongs, because he’s too good a player to be out of the top 10.
“He wants to, but he doesn’t do anything. All, ‘I want, I want’, but I don’t see any progress. I was shocked, I’ve never seen a more unprepared player in my life.
“With this knee, I’m three times more prepared than him. This is really bad.”
The comments came three weeks after Tsitsipas had publicly announced a reconciliation with his father – for a second time.
“Some journeys have a way of circling back to where they began,” posted the Greek on his Instagram.
“After some time apart, I’ve reunited with the person who first believed in me — my father.
“I’m grateful to share the court and the road ahead with him once again. We’ve been through every chapter of this journey together, and this next one feels right.
“Sometimes, coming home is the boldest step forward.”
Tsitsipas has continued to work with his father and will next participate in the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he is a three-time champion.