Stefanos Tsitsipas' mother calls out Goran Ivanisevic, blames herself for making son hire Djokovic's ex-coach

Earlier this year, in May, Stefanos Tsitsipas hired Novak Djokovic's former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, intending to touch the ceiling. However, the relationship was short-lived, lasting just under two months, and their relationship fell apart, with Ivanisevic calling Tsitsipas most "unprepared player."

In a recent interview with Tsitsipas' mother, Yulia Salnikova, admitted that she insisted the two-time Grand Slam finalist hire Ivanisevic in the first place.

"It was my idea," she said (via Sports.ru). "I didn't just advise him, I insisted. And I take full responsibility for it. I take the blame for it being the wrong choice. After all, even the team that worked with Stefanos before he started working with Ivanišević was more helpful to him."

Salnikova highlighted why she was impressed by Ivanisevic's work with Djokovic in the first place.

"Goran Ivanišević's history as a coach begins and ends with a player named Novak Djokovic," she said. "He completely lost himself in him. I saw it. It shocked me. He treated Djokovic as a dear person who needed all-round support. Ivanisevic was ready to do anything for Djokovic, willing to fulfill any whim. And that won me over."

However, Salnikova admits that she was wrong in believing that what Ivanisevic built with Djokovic, the coach will be able to do the same with her son.

"It turned out to be an illusion," she added. "Observing this relationship, I naively assumed it could be the same with the next player. But such love happens once in a lifetime; no one can repeat it."

What happened between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Goran Ivanisevic?

Stefanos Tsitsipas is a former World No. 3 who had nearly won a Grand Slam title. He hired Goran Ivanisevic, who was a former world No. 2, 2001 Wimbledon champion, as a player and was part of the huge success with Novak Djokovic.

In May, after his tough second-round exit at the French Open and a drop out of the Top 20 rankings, the Greek tennis star announced that he had hired Ivanisevic as his coach ahead of the grass court season.

“Working with Goran is an exciting opportunity for me,” Tsitsipas said at the time via Tennis.com. “He is someone who has reached the highest levels of tennis, both as a player and as a coach. I am confident that his experience will help me grow further and I am really looking forward to that."

Tsitsipas and Ivanisevic stayed together at Halle and at Wimbledon 2025. The Greek star retired in the first round at the All England Club, while trailing 6-3, 6-2 against qualifier Valentin Royer. Not long after that, the coach called out Tsitsipas.

“I’ve talked to him a lot of times. If he solves some things outside of tennis, then he’ll return to where he belongs,” Ivanisevic told Serbian outlet Sportklub. “I have never seen a more unprepared player in my life. With this knee, I am three times more fit than him. This is really bad.”

Shortly after the Wimbledon exit, Tsitsipas confirmed the split with Ivanisevic, ending a turbulent relationship.