Stefanos Tsitsipas’ nightmare season continues; however, the Greek tennis star has not helped himself.
Once a regular threat at Grand Slam events, with a career-high ranking of three in the world, the 26-year-old is now just a seed who suffers early exits.
Reaching the finals of the Australian Open and Roland Garros is very much a thing of the past, with his last five major performances seeing him fail to bypass the second round.
Enduring such torrid form, Stefanos Tsitsipas clearly knew that a change was needed.
And yet, despite hiring the legendary Goran Ivanisevic, a little bit of tough love from the Croatian has seemingly spurred him to end their working relationship after just two tournaments.
Stefanos Tsitsipas splits with Goran Ivanisevic
Tsitsipas’ coaching carousel began in 2024, after an unbroken stint with his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, at the helm.
However, seeking to get ahead of his stagnation, he made the first coaching change of his career, hiring Dimitris Chatzinikolaou.
| Year | Event | Round reached | Defeated by |
| 2025 | Wimbledon | First Round | Valentin Royer [ret] |
| 2025 | French Open | Second Round | Matteo Gigante |
| 2025 | Australian Open | First Round | Alex Michelsen |
| 2024 | US Open | First Round | Thanasi Kokkinakis |
| 2024 | Wimbledon | Second Round | Emil Ruusuvuori |
During their stint, he admitted they had a ‘very honest relationship’ with ‘no filters’.
It’s therefore rather ironic that, after Ivanisevic’s rather public bashing of Tsitsipas, he has now parted ways with him, less than two months after hiring him.
This marked an even smaller period working together than he spent with Chatzinikolaou, and will surely mark a huge error for the Monaco resident in the long run.
Goran Ivanisevic’s tough words didn’t sit well with Stefanos Tsitsipas
Although it’s unconfirmed whether Ivanisevic’s harsh words about Tsitsipas had a hand in the decision to split, it’s quite clear that it will have contributed.
After all, the 53-year-old, who had previously spent five years at Novak Djokovic’s side, did not hold back in his assessment of his new pupil, shocking many.
He admitted: “He says he wants to [return to the top level], but he’s not doing anything. It’s always ‘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 fitter than him. It’s really bad.”
Nick Kyrgios reacted to Ivanisevic’s claims about Tsitsipas, with even the Australian sympathising with the player.
Although, given how he helped Djokovic win nine Grand Slam titles amongst numerous other elite honours during their spell together, these were harsh truths worth dealing with.
Tsitsipas clearly needs a stern hand in coaching, but is unwilling to accept one. Returning to the safety of his father’s coaching is unlikely to reignite his stuttering career.
