Stefanos Tsitsipas Hints At Re-Hiring Father As His Coach After Split with Goran Ivanisevic

Stefanos Tsitsipas had criticized his father last year after a heated mid-match argument during the Canadian Open.

Stefanos Tsitsipas Hints At Re-Hiring Father As His Coach After Split with Goran Ivanisevic

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Apostolos Tsitsipas, Goran Ivanisevic (Image via The Sun, X/Swish Tennis, The Tennis Letter)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Stefanos Tsitsipas has ended his collaboration with coach Goran Ivanisevic after working together for just two months. The Greek ace has played only two grass-court tournaments under the Croatian coach- both ended in disappointment.

At the Halle Open, Tsitsipas lost in his second match, while at Wimbledon, he suffered a first-round exit because of an injury that forced him to retire mid-match after he lost the first two sets against Frenchman Valentin Royer.

Tsitsipas hired Ivanisevic after the Roland Garros, where Matteo Gigante ended his run in the second round. That the partnership would end this way, perhaps, was expected, given that the 53-year-old had publicly criticized the World No.29, calling him an “unprepared player” and accusing him of not doing anything at all to improve himself.

During an interview with SDNA, Tsitsipas said he has apologized to his ex-coach, Apostolos Tsitsipas, who is also his father. Tsitsipas had publicly criticized Apostolos during the Canadian Open last year, and later ended the coaching collaboration as he wanted to keep his father only as a father. But now that he is no longer working with Ivanisevic, would he once again re-hire his father as his coach?

We discussed it, from my side, I had to apologize because it was a big mistake on my part. We have found a new line of communication and a way to talk to each other, so that such things don’t happen again and such tensions don’t arise again. I love my father with all my heart, and what he has done in recent years is truly exciting.

Before joining Tsitsipas’ team, Ivanisevic was in Elena Rybakina‘s team. The Kazakh ace hired Ivanisevic after firing controversial coach Stefano Vukov. But she decided to hire him again, with Ivanisevic reportedly being blindsided by this decision. Ivanisevic ended the partnership, quitting her team right after her Australian Open exit.

Last year, Ivanisevic parted ways with Novak Djokovic. Under him, the Serb lifted 12 of his 24 Grand Slam titles. Tsitsipas was last seen in action at Wimbledon. He is next scheduled to play the Canadian Open, where last year, Kei Nishikori knocked him out of the opening round.

Stefanos Tsitsipas hopes he has put his bad days behind him

Stefanos Tsitsipas recently played the Hopman Cup and had a lot of fun with his friends in Greece. He is recharging his batteries as he wishes to make a decent comeback in the North American swing, where last year, he had made early exits in the three tournaments he played.

Stefanos Tsitsipas 1
Stefanos Tsitsipas (Image via X/ESPN)

There was generally a lot of pressure and a lot of stress. I didn’t realize it until I made some important decisions. Right now, I feel more relieved, but also closer to the 15-year-old Stefanos, when he started tennis. I am closer to this version of myself than before.

Stefanos Tsitsipas told SDNA

This year, the 26-year-old has lifted just one title: the Dubai Open, his first since the Monte Carlo Masters last year. He has won 19 and lost 13 matches this season.

Last year, he lifted his career’s third Monte Carlo Masters trophy, beating three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud. The former World No.3, however, couldn’t beat the Norwegian ace when they met in the Barcelona Open final.

The last time Tsitsipas won multiple titles was in 2022. He had progressed to seven finals, winning two titles: the Monte-Carlo Masters by beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and the Mallorca Open by overcoming Roberto Bautista Agut.

If Tsitsipas continues to produce mediocre performances, he may fall out of the top 30 for the first time since 2018. The two-time Grand Slam champion dropped out of the top 20 last month.

Also read: Alex de Minaur Sets Timeline to Close the Gap on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner