Ivanisevic: "Alcaraz and Sinner are on another level, the rest are light years away"

Jose Morón | 5 Jul 2025 | 11.29

Ivanisevic: "Alcaraz and Sinner are on another level, the others are light years away". Photo: Getty

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After officially announcing their union, many wondered how Goran Ivanisevic could help a Stefanos Tsitsipas who seemed like a castaway in the middle of the sea. A person desperately asking for help, knowing he is capable of something on a circuit where not long ago he mingled with the best, but now seems light years away. The Croatian's statements make it clear that Tsitsipas is a player burdened with a lot, and we don't know if he will be able to move past it to regain his former self.

In an interview with Clay, Goran perfectly diagnoses the Greek player. He doesn't hesitate to tell people about the real situation behind closed doors. This is not normal. If Ivanisevic is willing to say this in front of a microphone, imagine what he will say to Stefanos behind closed doors. It's startling, but it's appreciated that someone is able to speak frankly about the situation a player of Tsitsipas's caliber is facing.

"I already expected that Wimbledon wouldn't go well for him," Goran reveals in the interview. And he begins to analyze Stefanos's current state. Don't miss a single line. "He's not in shape. Plain and simple. Neither mentally nor physically. His situation is straightforward; if he makes changes, especially off the court, he can come back, but if he doesn't, no one can help him," he continues.

"I can help him with tennis-related matters, but the things off the court, that's something only he can do. He needs to address those things as soon as possible," details Goran, who draws on his coaching side to explain how poorly Stefanos's tennis is in 2025, just two years from his last Grand Slam final, which is even more striking.

"His biggest problem is his backhand, especially the slice. Technically, he needs to adjust his grip a bit more, and he also needs to work on his return. He has been changing rackets frequently; that needs to change. On his serve, he rotates his body too much and should bring his feet together a bit more," explains Ivanisevic, who points out that Stefanos's main issue right now, after all that, is not tennis. "The off-court situation is what causes him the most problems. That is what truly matters." Judge for yourselves.

Back Problems

After retiring at Wimbledon, Stefanos revealed he is suffering from a very serious back problem he doesn't know how to recover from, having tried almost everything and not knowing how to manage it. "I told him to take a break. He needs to recover from his back issue because he's a disaster physically. I don't understand how someone of his level can be in such bad shape physically. If he solves that, then he can think about playing again. He hasn't forgotten how to play because he won in Dubai a few months ago," he comments.

Goran sees himself reflected in Stefanos because he went through a similar situation. "I also dropped to 128 in the world. He's only 26. There's a big difference, but I didn't have the off-court problems he has." The Croatian explains that, in his time, he used to work "eight or nine hours a day" to win Wimbledon. "There are no secrets. There's no magic. You can't play if your head isn't 100% in tennis. You have to think about the ball, not things unrelated to this sport."

Ivanisevic still has faith in him, which is why he has joined his team because he believes he can help him recover and return to the top, but he is completely honest about Stefanos's current realistic ceiling given his situation, experience, and the presence of beasts like Alcaraz and Sinner. "No one can be behind Jannik and Carlos. Only Djokovic. I think Tsitsipas would definitely be Top 10. Maybe between 5 and 10. However, if he continues like this, he has no chance."

Ivanisevic also comments on the current level of tennis and leaves a quite striking statement. "This is tough; many train knowing they won't win a Slam," referring to the level that Alcaraz and Sinner have compared to others. "They're playing at a different level. Just look at the Roland Garros final. The others are far behind. Just see what happened in Australia. Zverev, number 3, was far off. The only one who can do it is Novak."

He also had a few words about Fonseca. Beyond the nonsense that a few Twitter users without any moral value might say, Ivanisevic predicts Joao will win major titles someday. "He's great. He's not afraid to go for the shots, like Alcaraz. He plays with everything and doesn't just put the ball in. He's very young and will learn much more. He still has a lot of time and is in a tough era with Alcaraz and Sinner, but I think someday he will win a Grand Slam."

Surprising Winner at Wimbledon

Regarding Wimbledon 2025, Ivanisevic boldly states that the winner this year will be "Novak Djokovic" for a simple reason. "He has beaten Sinner twice here, and in 2023, we know how close he was to winning against Carlos. Last year, he had a knee problem. He is the best player on this surface," opines Goran, who doesn't believe this tournament is his last chance to win another major, and having recently seen him train, he thinks Djokovic will still have opportunities at the US Open and other Slams. "I don't see why he wouldn't play until 2028."

Whenever someone like Ivanisevic speaks, it's time to sit down and take notes. It's appreciated when someone deviates from the usual rhetoric many have learned, providing insights and revelations that would be nearly impossible to know if not for someone deeply entrenched in the tennis world like him.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Ivanisevic: "Alcaraz y Sinner están a otro nivel, los demás están a años luz"