Stefanos Tsitsipas and Goran Ivanisevic’s coaching relationship didn’t last long…
Former world number three Tsitsipas hired Ivanisevic ahead of the grass-court season, but only won one match with the Croat as his coach.
The pair split after the Greek lost his Wimbledon opener, and their partnership will be best remembered for Ivanisevic’s controversial comments about Tsitsipas.
“I was shocked. I’ve never seen such an underprepared player in my life,” said Ivanisevic about Tsitsipas.
Tsitsipas later re-hired his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, as his coach, having fired him a year earlier.
Reflecting on Tsitsipas and Ivanisevic’s short-lived and unsuccessful partnership, the Greek’s mother, Julia Salnikova, shared what she really thought about Novak Djokovic’s former coach.
Goran Ivanisevic was the ‘wrong choice’ – Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mother
During an interview with ‘Sports.RU‘, Salnikova explained why Ivanisevic and Tsitsipas failed.
“Goran Ivanisevic’s history as a coach begins and ends with a player named Novak Djokovic. He completely lost himself in him,” she said.
“I saw it. It shocked me. He treated Djokovic as a dear person who needed all-around support. Ivanisevic was ready to do anything for Djokovic, willing to fulfill any whim.
“And that won me over. It turned out to be an illusion. Observing this relationship, I naively assumed it could be the same with the next player.
“But such love happens once in a lifetime; no one can repeat it. There was no way to buy into this.”
Tsitsipas’ mother takes full blame for the decision, as it was she who encouraged the two-time Grand Slam finalist to seek help from Ivanisevic.
“It was my idea. I didn’t just advise him, I insisted,” she said.
“I take full responsibility for it. I take the blame for it being the wrong choice.
“After all, even the team that worked with Stefanos before he started working with Ivanisevic was more helpful to him.”
Salnikova is happy to see her son reunited with his father, as she believes that partnership is the only one that works.
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“Take my word for it, all the coaches who worked with Stefanos alone failed to produce results,” she said.
“Mark Philippoussis had the best results, but only when he and Apostolos worked together.
“Then Mark, let’s say, lost his way because he offered Stepa one-on-one work. And that didn’t last very long.”
Tsitsipas seems settled with his father, for now at least, but have results improved since they began working together again?
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ results since re-hiring his father
- 2025 Canadian Open R64 [LOSS] vs Christopher O’Connell
- 2025 Cincinnati Open R64 [WIN] vs Fabian Marozsan
- 2025 Cincinnati Open R32 [LOSS] vs Benjamin Bonzi
- 2025 Winston-Salem Open R32 [LOSS] vs Yunchaokete Bu
- 2025 US Open R128 [WIN] vs Alexandre Muller
- 2025 US Open R64 [LOSS] vs Daniel Altmaier
A 2-4 record doesn’t look great, although it should be noted that Tsitsipas was struggling with a back injury in 2025, which brought his season to a close earlier than he had hoped.
Updating fans on his fitness ahead of 2026, Tsitsipas’ mother said this.
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mother says he isn’t doing ‘any physical activity’
“Regarding his final year, which he ended early, he had back problems. He saw a doctor who specializes in his injury, and he advised him to take a vacation and not continue the season with the Athens tournament, even though that tournament was his top priority,” she said.
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The problem was resolved without surgery. This pleased Stepa greatly; by that point, he was so tired that he was even ready for surgery.
“He’s not currently doing any active physical activity. He’s doing some exercises aimed at maintaining his condition.
“Only in early December, when preparation for the next season and serious training begins, will we know whether he’s truly resolved his injury.”
Salnikova isn’t getting ahead of herself, but is happy to see her son feeling better.
“He’s not experiencing any discomfort now,” she said.
“This is encouraging, as before, even in everyday life, he experienced discomfort in his back.”
Only time will tell if Tsitsipas can get fit in time for the 2026 Australian Open, which begins on Sunday, January 18.
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