Goran Ivanisevic claps back at Patrick Mouratoglou amid Stefanos Tsitsipas split

Tsitsipas and Ivanisevic worked together during the grass-court season before ending their brief collaboration last week.

After Tsitsipas retired due to a back injury in his opening round match at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships, Ivanisevic slammed the Greek's preparation and attitude.

"It's simple and it's not easy. I've talked to him many times. If he solves some things outside of tennis, then he has a chance and he'll return to where he belongs, because he's too good a player to be out of the top 10," the 2001 Wimbledon winner told Sport Klub.

"He wants to, but he doesn't do anything. All, 'I want, I want', but I don't see any progress. I was shocked, I've never seen a more unprepared player in my life. With this knee, I'm three times more prepared than him. This is really bad."

Mouratoglou, who worked with Serena Williams and recently split with Naomi Osaka, claimed Ivanisevic was "ashamed" of being associated with Tsitsipas' results.

"Goran going to the press and criticising his player is not coaching," the Frenchman said in a video posted on his Instagram account. "And even more, at the time they just started to work together, so no trust is made. You're already killing the person publicly.

"When Goran accepts that job, he knows that Stefanos probably doesn't do things the right way, or things need to change, or, you know.

"But that's the job. He arrives at a bad moment, but he knows it's a bad moment. It's not a surprise. You see the results of Stef for one year, they're not even close to what he was doing before.

"In a way, it makes me feel that he's ashamed of the results and he wants to separate himself from Stefanos, to say, 'It's not me. Me, I'm good. He is not good, that's his fault.'

"So yeah, it's for a coach to see this for me, it's painful to see it."

In an interview with former world No. 5 Anna Chakvetadze, Ivanisevic was asked for his response to Mouratoglou's criticism.

"I might talk to him when I see him, that's for sure," said the Croatian, who coached Novak Djokovic from 2019 to 2024.

"You don't do that. If he has a problem with me, he should call me; tell me what he thinks. I will tell him what I think.

"I don't go around and talk what I think about him. I better not say what I think about him, so I will be quiet for the moment. Maybe I do it next time.

"If I go to Toronto or Cincinnati, I'm most excited to see Mouratoglou, let's put it this way. To talk to him, to explain a few things.

"But I knew why he did that, but still, I never had problem with any coach in my life. Coaches, they should support each other and not to go internet and talk about other coaches."

After Ivanisevic's strong comments, Tsitsipas told Greek outlet SDNA it was "very difficult to have dictators and people who speak negatively" in his team the day before parting ways with the Croatian.

Announcing the split on Instagram, Tsitsipas said: "Working with Goran Ivanisevic was a brief but intense experience and a truly valuable chapter in my journey. I'm thankful for the time, effort, and energy he dedicated to me and my team.

"As we are now following our separate ways, I have only respect for Goran â- not just for what he's achieved in tennis, but also for who he is as a person. I wish him nothing but the very best moving forward."

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