“Everyone’s on antidepressants” – Ivanisevic gives insights on tour and Tsitsipas struggles
The former Wimbledon champion weighed in on his Greek student’s lack of form
Goran Ivanisevic
When the news broke that 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic would be coaching Stefanos Tsitsipas during the grass-court season, many of the Greek’s fans were overjoyed at such a decision.
The Greek currently occupies the 26th spot in the ATP rankings – his lowest ranking since mid-2018 – after shockingly inconsistent results over the last 18 months.
500 of his 1920 points came as a result of a surprise victory at the ATP event in Dubai in February, beating the likes of Karen Khachanov, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Matteo Berrettini along the way.
Despite the team addition, his student – who has made two Grand Slam finals – continued to look like a shell of himself at Wimbledon, retiring at 6-3, 6-2 against Valentin Royer in the first round after ongoing back pain.
Such a result was not entirely off the cards, according to his new coach.
Ivanisevic: Tennis is the least of tsitsipas’ problems
“I didn’t expect him to do well,” the Croat admitted, whilst speaking to CLAY Tenis.
“He’s just not in form — mentally or physically. His situation is clear: if he changes certain things on the court, and above all off the court, he’ll be fine. He’s too good a player not to be in the top 10. But if he doesn’t manage to change those things, then he doesn’t have a chance.”
Whilst Ivanisevic believes that major changes need to be made, he is confident that the former world No 3 can reach the world’s elite once again.
“I can guarantee things on the court, the technical stuff he has to change and accept,” analysed Tsitsipas’s new coach.
“But off the court — that’s something he has to tackle himself, one thing at a time. Like a baby climbing stairs — they don’t take two steps at once, they go one step at a time. He has to start fixing those off-court issues as soon as possible.
Like a baby climbing stairs — they don’t take two steps at once, they go one step at a time.
“When he does, he’ll be where he belongs. If he doesn’t, and I’ve said this six times already, no one will be able to help him.
“His biggest issue is his backhand, especially the slice. Technically he needs to adjust the grip a bit, and also work on his return. He recently changed racquets too.
“On the serve, he should stop twisting his body so much, maybe bring one foot closer to the other — but these are things you address in the off-season, not before Wimbledon. And to be honest, tennis is the least of his problems. The other stuff is much bigger. He also needs to sort out his back problems.”
The one-time Grand Slam champion also reiterated his opinion that the Greek is one of the closest competitors to Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic – if he returns to form: “He is (the closest). But honestly, no one is really right behind those three — they have the Tour to themselves.
“The two of them, 15 years younger than Novak, and Novak is the only one who can still challenge and beat them. Then you have the rest, I’m sure Stefanos is a top 10 player — he’s played two Slam finals, won Masters titles, the ATP Finals.
“He’s a great player! The only question is how much he wants it. I believe in him being between 5th and 10th. But if he keeps going like this — no chance.”
Whilst the criticism may seem harsh, the Croat doesn’t believe that Tsitsipas is the only victim of excessive pressure, and – instead – puts much of the wider blame on wider, more societal, expectations.
“Everyone knows how to hit, the difference is mental,” explained Ivanisevic.
“When I listen to players, everyone’s on antidepressants, Zverev says he’s in a bad place.
“I don’t know why they [the players] put so much pressure on themselves. Maybe it’s outside expectations, society’s expectations — they can’t handle it.”
