Stefanos Tsitsipas recently shared a blunt response days after his coach, Goran Ivanisevic, made a controversial statement after the former's Wimbledon performance. The Greek player is currently gearing up for his upcoming tournaments of the 2025 season.
Tsitsipas was last seen in action at Wimbledon on June 30, where he competed in the first round of the tournament against Valentin Royer. The latter overwhelmed the Greek by winning the straight two-set match with a score of 6-3, 6-2. Following this loss, Ivanisevic criticized Tsitsipas by taking a dig at his performance in Wimbledon.
The coach said that he had "never seen a more unprepared player" than the Greek and called himself three times fitter than him at the age of 53. Shortly after receiving this criticism, Tsitsipas sat for a conversation with SDNA, where he broke his silence about the criticism, stating that it is 'difficult' to have people around him who speak negatively.
"When I work with the right people, with people that I choose and make me feel comfortable, there is a mood. 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 have a common line, 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. It is very difficult to have dictators and people who speak negatively and you don't feel like they are close to you like family," said Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Goran Ivanisevic has been coaching the 26-year-old since the end of May 2025.
Stefanos Tsitsipas recently dropped shocking retirement hints after the Wimbledon upset
In the post-match interview after his Wimbledon loss, Stefanos Tsitsipas opened up about how heartbroken he was over his situation and revealed that he has been trying several ways to get better. He spoke about the struggles he has been navigating due to the back injury that he suffered at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
"I'm fighting a lot of wars these days. It's really painful to find myself in a situation like this," said Stefanos Tsitsipas.
He further hinted at retirement, stating that it would be pointless for him if he didn't get better after taking measures to feel better.
"I myself, as a person, have a limit at some point, so I'll definitely have to have a final answer as to whether I want to do certain things or not in the next two months. It's going to be tough, but if I see it continue like this, there's no point in competing. If I'm not healthy, if the health isn't there, then your whole tennis life becomes miserable,” he added.
Stefanos Tsitsipas opened his 2025 season by competing at the Australian Open, where he faced the same fate as at Wimbledon, as his campaign ended early in the first round after being defeated by Alex Michelsen.