Goran Ivanisevic has unleashed a blistering attack on Stefanos Tsitsipas, declaring that even with his own battered knee, he’s in better shape than the struggling Greek star who limped out of Wimbledon this week.
The Croatian coach and former Wimbledon champion didn’t mince words after Tsitsipas retired while trailing 6-3, 6-2 to French qualifier Valentin Royer in the first round on Monday.
The defeat adds to a bleak run for the 26-year-old, who has reached just one Grand Slam quarter-final in his last nine attempts, despite once climbing as high as world number three.
Ivanisevic, who began working with Tsitsipas in May, told Serbian network Sport Klub that the Greek’s problems run far deeper than injury. “It’s simple and it’s not simple. I’ve talked to him a lot of times. If he solves some things outside of tennis, then he has a chance and he’ll return to where he belongs, because he’s too good a player to be out of the top 10,”he said.
But he didn’t hide his frustration over Tsitsipas’s physical condition. “He wants to but he doesn’t do anything. All ‘I want, I want,’ but I don’t see that progress. I was shocked, I have never seen a more unprepared player in my life. With this knee, I am three times more fit than him. This is really bad.”
Ivanisevic, who famously triumphed at Wimbledon in 2001 and guided Novak Djokovic to nine Grand Slam titles, warned that Tsitsipas risks fading from the top ranks if he doesn’t make serious changes off the court.
