Boris Becker Believes Novak Djokovic’s Ex-Coach Goran Ivanisevic Will Be Key to Making Stefanos Tsitsipas Successful Again

Stefanos Tsitsipas has not reached the semi-final of any tournament since winning the Dubai Championships in March this year.

Boris Becker Believes Novak Djokovic’s Ex-Coach Goran Ivanisevic Will Be Key to Making Stefanos Tsitsipas Successful Again

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Goran Ivanisevic and Boris Becker (via X/The Tennis Letter/BBC)

Stefanos Tsitsipas has made a huge coaching appointment after his disappointing run at the French Open. The former World No.3 confirmed that he will start working with Novak Djokovic’s ex-coach, Goran Ivanisevic, ahead of the grass-court season. Tennis legend Boris Becker has lauded the move from the Greek star.

Ivanisevic is one of the most highly rated coaches in tennis, having helped Djokovic win 12 Grand Slam titles during their incredible collaboration between June 2019 and March 2024. He had a brief spell with Elena Rybakina, which lasted for only two months before he decided to part ways with the Kazakhstan star.

However, Ivanisevic first became popular in the sport after he helped Marin Cilic secure his only major title at the 2014 US Open. He has been without any coaching duty since January following his split with Rybakina. But Tsitsipas has now added him to his team just days after shockingly losing to qualifier Matteo Gigante in the second round of the French Open.

The defeat will see him drop out of the Top 20 for the first time since August 2018. This comes just after a poor run of form since he impressively won the Dubai Championships in March this year. He failed to defend the Monte Carlo Masters after suffering a disappointing quarter-final defeat to Lorenzo Musetti.

He then fell to the same opponent at the Madrid Open and then lost to Arthur Fils at the Italian Open. Nonetheless, Tsitsipas adding Ivanisevic to his coaching team has been lauded by Boris Becker as the Croatian coach is a former Wimbledon champion and has decades of experience working with top players. Becker revealed to TNT Sports that Ivanisevic will take the Greek star to the top again.

It was about time for Tsitsipas to have an experienced coach and former world-class player by his side, with all due respect to his previous coaches. Goran knows the game of tennis. He’s won Wimbledon as a player and claimed numerous Grand Slam titles alongside Novak Djokovic. He knows exactly what needs to be done. It all starts on Monday – doesn’t the grass-court season begin then?

Tsitsipas ended his coaching relationship with his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, in August 2024 after a decline in his form. He was been coached by the Greek Davis Cup captain Dimitri Chatzinikolaou since then.

Stefanos Tsitsipas confirms his coaching partnership with Goran Ivanisevic

Stefanos Tsitsipas bringing in Goran Ivanisevic ahead of the grass-court season would take his game to a higher level. Ivanisevic is a former Wimbledon champion and three-time runner-up at the All England Club, and the Croatian coach will bring no shortage of grass court expertise to the table. Tsitsipas confirmed their partnership in a press statement:

Stefanos Tsitsipas 2025 Madrid Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas (image via Instagram/ Mutua Madrid Open)

Working with Goran is an exciting opportunity for me. He is someone who has reached the highest levels of tennis, both as a player and as a coach. I am confident that his experience will help me grow further and I am really looking forward to that.

Ivanisevic also confirmed the collaboration revealing that Tsitsipas is a very talented player and amongst the best in the men’s circuit:

Stefanos is a very talented tennis player with a strong work ethic. He has shown that he belongs among the best, and I’m happy to be part of the next steps of his journey. My goal is to enable him to thrive, building on the strong foundation he has already laid.

Ivanisevic is set to be in Tsitsipas coaching box for the first time at the ATP 500 Halle Open, which will start on June 16. After that, they will head to the Wimbledon Championship in London, which starts on June 30.

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