Coach Goran Ivanisevic, Who ‘Completely Lost Himself’ in Novak Djokovic, Was ‘Wrong’ Choice for Stefanos Tsitsipas

Novak Djokovic hasn't met Stefanos Tsitsipas since defeating him in the final of the 2023 Australian Open.

Coach Goran Ivanisevic, Who ‘Completely Lost Himself’ in Novak Djokovic, Was ‘Wrong’ Choice for Stefanos Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Goran Ivanisevic, Novak Djokovic (Image via X/Swish Tennis, Tiempo De Tenis)

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For six years, Goran Ivansevic worked with Novak Djokovic, joining his team in 2018. Under the Croatian coach, the Serb lifted half of his 24 Grand Slam titles.

They split in March last year. After the end of the partnership, Ivanisevic joined a WTA player’s team for the first time. It was Elena Rybakina who hired him following her split with Stefano Vukov, but as she re-hired the latter, it ended the partnership with Ivanisevic.

After Rybakina, Ivanisevic was hired by Stefanos Tsitsipas. It was the mom of the latter, Julia Apostoli, who suggested that he add Ivanisevic to his team amidst his tense relationship with his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, also his coach.

But it was another short collaboration for Ivanisevic, who also called out Tsitsipas during an interview while working with him at that time. Following the split, Apostolos rejoined his team as his coach. Tsitsipas’ mom, Apostoli, during an interview with Sports Ru, said she thought Ivanisevic was the wrong choice for her son.

Goran Ivanisevic’s history as a coach begins and ends with a player named Novak Djokovic. He completely lost himself in him. 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.

Tsitsipas ended his season early due to back problems. His last match of the season was against Daniel Altmaier in the second round of the US Open, following which, he withdrew from the Shanghai Masters and the Vienna Open. The 27-year-old just won the Dubai Open this year by defeating Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime.

But such love happens once in a lifetime; no one can repeat it. There was no way to buy into this… It was my idea. I didn’t just advise him, I insisted… 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.

Julia Apostoli added

Tsitsipas has dropped out of the top 30 and currently stands in the 34th spot, finishing the season with a 22-18 win-loss record. He failed to qualify for the ATP Finals for the second consecutive time since making his debut in 2019, when he finished the event as champion by defeating Dominic Thiem.

Viktor Troicki on Novak Djokovic’s participation at the Davis Cup

Viktor Troicki has been serving as the Davis Cup captain for Serbia since December 2020. He won the Davis Cup as a player in 2010 alongside Novak Djokovic. During his interview with El Mercurio, Troicki was asked whether he is expecting Djokovic to join the team for the first Qualifier against Chile in February next year.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic (Image via X/AllAboutHQ)

Definitely with him, we would be one of the strongest teams, and Novak has already helped us many times by winning his matches. We have to see after the Australian Open, depending on the result, how he fares and how he feels.

At the Australian Open this year, a hamstring injury ended Djokovic’s campaign as he was forced to give the walkover to Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. Djokovic ended the 2025 season with the Geneva Open and the Hellenic Championship, which he won by defeating Hubert Hurkacz and Lorenzo Musetti, respectively.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion also reached the Miami Open but failed to go past Jakub Mensik. Apart from the Australian Open, the 38-year-old also played the semifinals of the remaining three Majors.

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