"The Coach Must Be a Psychologist," Ivanisevic Discusses Mental Health in Tennis

Adrien Guyot

le 06/07/2025 à 09h36

1 min to read

Ivanisevic Zverev

Former professional tennis player Goran Ivanisevic experienced the greatest joy of his career at the 2001 Wimbledon tournament when he won his sole Grand Slam title against Patrick Rafter.

Now coaching Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 53-year-old Croat—who won 22 ATP titles during his playing career—recently spoke in an interview with *Clay* about one of the increasingly discussed topics among players on the tour: mental health.

"Tennis is an individual sport; you step onto the court alone. The coach must be a psychologist. Nowadays, it’s not so much about learning to hit forehands or backhands—everything is in the mind.

In a few years, I’ll probably be able to get a degree in psychology and give lectures. Everyone has technique. When I listen to players, everyone is taking antidepressants. Zverev says it’s tough for him… I don’t know why they put so much pressure on themselves.

Maybe it’s the expectations from the outside, and they can’t handle them. Zverev is a good player, but he hasn’t won a Grand Slam yet. He had his first big chance in 2020 when he served for the match against Thiem at the US Open.

At first, he was overshadowed by the Big Three, and now Sinner and Alcaraz have emerged, and he’s still far behind. He’s the third-best player in the world, he trains, but he still can’t reach victory," he elaborated.