Stefanos Tsitsipas' mother Yulia Salnikova had some pretty harsh words for Goran Ivanisevic, saying that the Croatian coach "lost himself with Novak Djokovic" and "never intended" to build any professional relationship and trust with her son.
After having a poor clay season and exiting the French Open in the second round, Tsitsipas made a splash move by hiring Ivanisevic. The move was widely praised by the tennis community as the Croatian's coaching resume and success are well-documented, and the belief was that Djokovic's former coach could help the Greek rediscover his best form.
Tsitsipas started his grass season by losing in the Halle round-of-16 to Alex Michelsen, then retired to Valentin Royer while trailing to the Frenchman in the Wimbledon second round.
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What happened next made all the headlines - Ivanisevic ripped the 27-year-old Greek as "the most unprepared player I have ever seen." That was the end of their partnership, which lasted only two tournaments.
Between 2019 and 2024, the Croatian coach enjoyed an extremely successful collaboration with Djokovic as they won nine Grand Slams during their time together.
Tsitsipas' mother: Ivanisevic shocked me...
"Because Goran never intended to build them. Goran's history as a coach begins and ends with a player named Novak Djokovic. He completely lost himself in him. I saw it. It shocked me. He treated Djokovic as a dear person who needed all-round support. Goran was ready to do anything for Djokovic, willing to fulfill any whim. And that won me over. It turned out to be an illusion. 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," Salnikova told sports.ru.
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In the same interview, Salnikova admitted that she was the one who wanted Ivanisevic to become Tsitsipas' coach. She also stated that she was taking full responsibility and blame for what happened afterward.
Prior to the Tsitsipas stint, the Croatian coach worked with Elena Rybakina for only one month as they separated after the Australian Open.
