"I have never seen a player in such poor physical condition in my entire life," Ivanisevic concerned about Tsitsipas' health

© AFP

Adrien Guyot

le 04/07/2025 à 11h23

2 min to read

Ivanisevic Tsitsipas Wimbledon

After the clay season, Goran Ivanisevic became the new coach of Stefanos Tsitsipas. The world No. 27, desperately lacking confidence, wanted to approach Wimbledon with more serenity.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned for the Greek. Defeated in the second round in Halle by Alex Michelsen, Tsitsipas was forced to retire in the first round of Wimbledon against Valentin Royer after again feeling discomfort in his back.

The 2001 Wimbledon champion wants to help Tsitsipas get back on track, but he is also aware that the latter cannot be a contender for Grand Slam titles if his physical condition does not hold up over time, as he explained in recent hours.

"It’s both simple and complicated. I’ve spoken to him several times. If he can resolve certain issues outside of tennis, he’ll have a chance to return to where he should be, because he’s far too good a player to be outside the top 10.

It’s a new relationship, even though I’ve known him for several years. I know how he plays. I think he’s starting to get used to my presence, and I to his. He doesn’t have much confidence on grass, and that was already the case when he was in a better phase.

He’s never performed well at Wimbledon. I told him to play relaxed and without pressure. Of course, it’s not the tournament where you can find your rhythm right away, because playing on grass is difficult.

It’s a process that takes time; you can’t play extremely well immediately—that’s how it works. He played two good matches in Halle and trained well against good players in an exhibition tournament (at Hurlingham).

But then there’s also the physical aspect. Stefanos (Tsitsipas) says he wants to, but he does nothing. He just keeps saying, ‘I want to, I want to,’ but I don’t see actions matching the words.

I was really shocked because I’ve never seen a player in such poor physical condition in my entire life. With my current knee, I’m three times fitter than him. It’s really serious," Ivanisevic told Punto De Break.