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Stefanos Tsitsipas has come under heavy criticism from Goran Ivanisevic following his first-round exit at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. Ivanisevic, who recently joined Tsitsipas’ coaching team, didn’t hold back, saying the Greek isn’t remotely prepared to compete at this level.
Tsitsipas has been struggling throughout the year, with underwhelming performances at both the Australian Open and French Open. His Wimbledon campaign ended just as poorly, as he was forced to give a walkover to Valentin Royer after falling two sets behind, citing lower back pain.
Speaking in an interview, Ivanisevic expressed his frustration, saying that while Tsitsipas has the desire to succeed, he puts in little effort to turn that ambition into results. He even joked that at 53, his own knees are in better shape than the Greek's, who is 26.
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“The desire is there, but he does nothing to improve things,” the former Wimbledon champion told Sport Klub. “At least I can not notice his effort. Stefanos has to find a solution for his troubled back. I have never seen a more unprepared player in my life!”
He added:
“At my age and with the state of my knee, I'm in thrice better shape than him. I'm not sure what he has done in the previous 12 months, but his current shape is very poor.”
Goran Ivanisevic’s brutally honest nature is what led Stefanos Tsitsipas to hire him in the first place, as the World No. 26 himself admitted.
“Goran never lies. From day one, he told me things exactly as he saw them, he didn’t sugarcoat anything. I don’t want someone who’s there to please me. He doesn’t confuse me; he gives me clear information. He doesn’t overwhelm me or make me angry,” he told SDNA.
Stefanos Tsitsipas says he may consider retirement if his current struggles persist
Stefanos Tsitsipas was already dealing with the disappointment of a first-round walkover at Wimbledon 2025, but the press conference that followed hit even harder. Visibly emotional, he confessed that if his physical condition doesn’t improve soon, he’s not sure there’s any point in continuing to compete.
Tsitsipas said:
“If I see this is going on the same direction, there is no point of competing. As a person, I have a limit. I will definitely have to make a final decision of whether I want to keep going or not in the next few months.”
The Greek later admitted he had been going through a really "hard time" and was disappointed in himself for having to withdraw from a match again.
“I’ve been through a lot of battles lately, and it’s very painful to see myself in this kind of situation,” Stefanos Tsitsipas said. “One of the things I hate the most is retiring or pulling out of a match. I never imagined myself being in that situation so many times since the ATP Finals in Turin a couple of years ago.”
For now, Tsitsipas will focus entirely on his recovery, hoping to be fully fit in time for the US Open in August--his final shot at a Grand Slam title this year.
