Goran Ivanisevic stirred controversy with his criticism of Stefanos Tsitsipas in the aftermath of the Greek’s disappointing campaign at this year’s Wimbledon Championships. Later, Patrick Mouratoglou commented on the controversy, with the French coach siding with Tsitsipas and disapproving of Ivanisevic’s harsh words. Recently, the Croatian former ATP icon and present-day coach cut a furious figure as he spoke his mind on Mouratoglou’s remarks.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, a far cry from the formidable force he once was on the ATP Tour, roped in Ivanisevic as his coach and began working with the Croatian after the 2025 French Open. At Wimbledon, which was only his second tournament under Ivanisevic’s tutelage, the Greek retired hurt with a back injury from his first-round match. A few days after the former No. 3’s swift exit from the grass Major, Ivanisevic told Sport Klub:
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"Me, at my age and with this bad knee, I’m three times in better shape than him (Stefanos Tsitsipas). I'm not sure what he was doing in the previous 12 months, but his current shape is very poor."
The distinguished former player and present-day coach's take on Stefanos Tsitsipas didn't go down well with Patrick Mouratoglou, who previously coached the Greek. In a video he shared on social media, the French coach voiced his objection to Goran Ivanisevic's words, saying:
"For a coach to see this, for me it's painful. He (Ivanisevic) arrives at a bad moment, but he knows it's a bad moment. It's not a surprise. If you see the results of Stefanos for one year, they're not even close to what he was doing before. So he knows it's a difficult moment. You accept or you don't accept it. This difficult moment can create wrong behaviors. This is what you need to bring back to good behaviors."
The Frenchman subsequently added:
"In a way it makes me feel that he is ashamed of the results and he wants to separate himself from Stefanos to say, 'It's not me, me, I'm good. He is not good. That's his fault.'"
Recently, while speaking to Russian former WTA star Anna Chakvetadze, Ivanisevic issued a stinging response to Mouratoglou. The Croatian opined that the French coach should have reached out to him personally instead of airing his views on the internet. He also hinted at a potential in-person meeting with Mouratoglou if the two of them happen to travel to either the ongoing National Bank Open in Toronto or the upcoming Cincinnati Open.
"I will talk to him when I see him, that's for sure. You don't do that. If he has a problem with me, he should call me, tell me what he thinks. I will tell him what I think. I don't go around and talk what I think about him. I better not say what I think about him, so I will be quiet for the moment," Ivanisevic said.
"Maybe I do it next time. If I go to Toronto, Cincinnati, I'm most excited to see Mouratoglou, let's put it this way, to talk to him, to explain a few things, but I knew why he did that, but still, I never had a problem with any coach in my life. Coaches, they should support each other and not go to internet and talk about other coaches," the Croatian added.
Stefanos Tsitsipas ended collaboration with Goran Ivanisevic after Croatian coach's harsh assessment; Greek once more being coached by father Apostolos
In the wake of Goran Ivanisevic's controversial comments about him in public, Stefanos Tsitsipas decided to bring the pair's brief collaboration to an end. The Greek shared a post on social media to announce the development and later, Ivanisevic also spoke up about the split. The Croatian also confirmed that Tsitsipas would be coached by his father Apostolos going forward.
"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," Ivanisevic told HRT.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is currently in Toronto for the ATP Masters 1000 event of the 2025 National Bank Open. The Greek is the No. 23 seed at the tournament and is set to begin his campaign directly in the second round against Christopher O'Connell after receiving a first-round bye.
