"He needs to sort things out": Goran Ivanisevic gets candid after Stefanos Tsitsipas split

Goran Ivanisevic assures there’s “no bad blood” between him and Stefanos Tsitsipas, after news of the abrupt end of their coaching partnership was announced on Thursday.

The pair joined forces just after Tsitsipas’ second-round exit from Roland Garros and parted ways just after his first-round retirement at Wimbledon, a weekslong span that Tsitsipas called “brief but intense” in a social media post.

During Wimbledon, Ivanisevic raised eyebrows with a scathing assessment of the Greek player’s performance, saying he’d “never seen such a poorly prepared player” in his life during an interview with SportsKlub.

Read More: Goran Ivanisevic blasts Stefanos Tsitsipas after Wimbledon exit: “Never seen such a poorly prepared player”

“Me, at my age and with this bad knee, I’m three times in better shape than him. I'm not sure what he was doing in the previous 12 months, but his current shape is very poor,” Ivanisevic said, adding, “The desire is there, but he does nothing to improve things. It’s all ‘I want it, I want it’ but I don’t see any progress.”

Ivanisevic also made references to issues in Tsitsipas’ personal life, as rumors swirled about the player’s split with his girlfriend Paula Badosa. Last year, Tsitsipas also ended his “toxic” coaching relationship with father Apostolos Tsitsipas following a mid-match argument.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the pair officially parted ways shortly afterwards, with Tsitsipas sharing the news on Thursday via Instagram Story:

"Working with Goran Ivanisevic was brief but an intense experience and a truly valuable chapter in my journey. I'm thankful for the time, effort and energy he dedicated to me and my team,” he wrote. "...I have only respect for Goran—not just for what he's achieved in tennis, but also for who he is as a person. I wish him nothing but the very best moving forward."

Read More: Stefanos Tsitsipas splits from coach Goran Ivanisevic after "brief but an intense experience"

A day after their split was confirmed, Ivanisevic was back in front of the camera to discuss “the end of this saga.” Speaking to Croatia’s HRT during the ATP 250 event in Umag, the 2001 Wimbledon champion defended his comments criticizing Tsitsipas, saying they had been wildly overblown.

I honestly, most sincerely mean this: The only person who can coach him is his dad. Ivanisevic on Tsitsipas

“I didn't insult him... I told him all that, it's not like I said it behind his back,” Ivanisevic explained in comments translated by The Express. “Now it turns out that you're not even allowed to say anything anymore…

“Unfortunately, that's how it is, everyone sees it. He feels it himself, and he knows it. If you're not physically or mentally ready, especially mentally, to play a few hours with the best, then you have no chance.”

Ivanisevic adds that the pair “had a nice chat” and thanked each other as they parted ways, with the former world No. 2 also shedding light on the Greek player’s future plans:

“He decided to try again with his dad,” Ivanisevic revealed. “I honestly, most sincerely mean this: The only person who can coach him is his dad. He played the best tennis with him. He knows him best, it's a family project. It's the best decision. I wish him all the best, he's too good a player to be where he is…

“Yesterday I told him that nothing will change if he doesn't sort out some things in his head himself.”

Tsitsipas, for his part, seems to have taken some of those words to heart. Speaking to SDNA during a charity event in Athens before the split was announced, he confirmed that his back is slowly improving and hinted at his father’s return to his coaching team.

The current world No. 29 left fans concerned after he’d hit his “limit” and saw “no point to competing” in his current condition following his Wimbledon defeat. Now, he seems to be turning a new leaf with a positive outlook as he builds his new team with “the right people.”

"When I work with the right people, with people that I choose and make me feel comfortable, there is a (good) mood,” Tsitsipas explained. “‘Comfortable’ doesn't mean that I stop training whenever I want or that I tell you how much exercise I want to do…

“They are the ones who know how hard we work and what we want to achieve through the work we put in, but also maintain a friendly atmosphere throughout it all.”

When I work with the right people, there is a (good) mood... It is very difficult to have dictators and people who speak negatively and you don't feel like family around you. Tsitsipas on his coaching environment

Something he doesn’t want on his new team? “Dictators” and people who “speak negatively” to disrupt the “family” vibe he wants surrounding him.

“It is very difficult to have dictators and people who speak negatively and you don't feel like family around you,” Tsitsipas continued.

“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.”

Tsitsipas will be back on court at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers, an ATP Masters 1000 event in Toronto.

Catch all the Canadian Open action on Tennis Channel from July 26 to August 7, 2025—as the men compete in Toronto and the women play concurrently in Montreal.