Tsitsipas sends a message to Ivanisevic: "I have learned that being a good tennis player does not necessarily mean you can be a good coach"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 25 Feb 2026 | 15.15

Tsitsipas sends a message to Ivanisevic: "I have learned that being a good tennis player does not necessarily mean you can be a good coach." Photo: Gettyimages

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Stefanos Tsitsipas is going through one of the lowest points of his career. The Greek was defending 500 points as the champion of the ATP Dubai, his last success, but after falling in the first round against Ugo Humbert (6-4, 7-5), he loses 450 points and next Monday will drop thirteen positions to exit the Top 40 and place himself as world number 43.

A position outside the Top 40, where he hasn't been since May 2018 when he was 19 years old. Since then, many things have changed in the life of the Greek, from reaching number three in the world and defeating the Big-3 (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic) on several occasions to reaching the final of a Grand Slam twice (Roland Garros 2021 and Australian Open 2023).

However, not taking advantage of those opportunities and the emergence of two exceptional players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner led him to an uncomfortable situation. Unable to keep up with the Spanish and Italian players, the Greek made hasty decisions in his team. First, he parted ways with his father, Apostolos, had a short-lived partnership with Mark Philippoussis, and then reunited with his father. Only to later let him go again and opt for a relationship with Goran Ivanisevic, which fell apart in less than a month.

Stefanos Tsitsipas sends a message to Goran Ivanisevic

Remnants of that tense relationship still remain, as both the Croatian and the Greek seize any opportunity to take jabs at each other. The latest to do so was Stefanos Tsitsipas, who wanted to emphasize the excellent atmosphere with his current team.

"I feel at home with my team, I feel they fit perfectly where they are. And I feel there's no anxiety within my team. There was a period of anxiety. New faces and new members were added, and it generated a lot of confusion instead of clarity," he confessed in an interview with The National.

The Greek continued his explanation: "I regret certain decisions I made hastily based on my past performance and such. What I have learned from this is that being a good tennis player, if you've played tennis well in your life, doesn't necessarily mean you can be a good coach," concluded the Greek with a clear message, although without naming him, towards Goran Ivanisevic.

He even provided more ammunition for the end: "That's what I've learned from this whole process. Sometimes you meet people who are ideal for you but weren't necessarily the best players in the world, Grand Slam winners, or sports legends. So these kinds of people can sometimes bring out the best in you, rather than people with a certain status in the game."

It remains to be seen if Goran Ivanisevic, who has just started a new collaboration with Arthur Fils, will engage and share his opinion on Stefanos Tsitsipas's statements. But the Croatian doesn't hold back, so it wouldn't be the first or the last time he does so.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Tsitsipas manda un recado ¿a Ivanisevic?: "He aprendido que si eres buen tenista no significa que puedas ser buen entrenador"