Stefanos Tsitsipas splits with Goran Ivanisevic, will resume coaching partnership with father

New York Times

5 days ago

Two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas says he has split with 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanišević after just two tournaments, as his latest attempt to arrest a decline in form flounders.
Tsitsipas, the world No. 29, confirmed the end of their partnership in a statement issued by email.
Advertisement
'Working with Goran Ivanišević was a brief but intense experience and a truly valuable chapter in my journey,' the 26-year-old Greek said.
In a statement sent to The Athletic, Ivanišević said: 'We had a nice conversation yesterday. Nothing bad. He is going back to his father, back to his roots.
'He had his best results with his father, his father knows him the best so I agree that is the the right decision. I hope he gets back where he belongs and wish him all the best for the future.'
The absence of Tsitsipas' father, Apostolos, from the coaching setup was an initial condition of Ivanišević's working with former world No. 3. Tsitsipas and Ivanišević announced their partnership during the French Open; Tsitsipas won their first match together at the Halle Open in Germany, but he then lost to Luciano Darderi of Italy.
He next went out of Wimbledon in the first round, retiring with a back injury while two sets down to French qualifier Valentin Royer.
Ivanišević then criticized Tsitsipas' fitness in an interview with SportKlub.
'He wants, but he doesn't do anything. All 'I want, I want', but I don't see that progress,' Novak Djokovic's former coach said.
'I was shocked. I have never seen a more unprepared player in my life. With this knee, I am three times more fit than him. This is really bad.'
Following the tournament, Tsitsipas spoke obliquely in Athens about his priorities for his coaching team.
'It is very difficult to have dictators and people who speak negatively and you don't feel like they are close to you like family. Being able to build a family out of this, people who will not only work with you in the tennis part but will also be your friends after your career, is something that I really want to build,' he told Sdna.
Tsitsipas has spent much of the past year trying to rediscover both the form, and love for tennis, that made him look like a potential major champion. In August 2024, he removed his father from his coaching team after a surprise defeat to Kei Nishikori, then world No. 576, at the Canadian Open in Montreal.
Advertisement
'I need and I deserve a coach that listens to me and hears my feedback as a player. My father hasn't been very smart or very good at handling those situations,' he said.
Tsitsipas has also switched rackets and attempted to make tactical changes to his game, hitting through his one-handed backhand more, especially on return. But he still lacks the backhand slice and chipped return that are now essential for success with a one-hander at the top of the sport.
And like other male players of his generation, including world No. 3 Alexander Zverev, 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, and three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud, Tsitsipas has spoken only about feeling left behind by changes to the sport accelerated by the ascendancy of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who have split the past seven majors.
'I feel like the lineup right now is much more difficult than it was back then. Players are so much more mature. Shots have changed. Players have second forehands in this very moment. They're playing with two forehands almost. I have to adapt my game,' he said ahead of the French Open, where he lost in the second round to Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante.
'I have to consider certain things moving forwards because it's growing a lot in intensity, and physically it has never been in a position like the way it is now. I see constant evolution and constant growth of the sport in terms of how the players are evolving and how much better they're getting over the years.'
That defeat to Gigante saw Tsitsipas drop out of the top 20 for the first time since 2018. As he begins the next stage of his climb back, he will hope that his partnership with his father does not again descend into the maelstrom of 12 months ago.