logo
‘I'm three times fitter than him' – Tsitsipas brutally told not to play tennis by coach and former Wimbledon champ, 53

‘I'm three times fitter than him' – Tsitsipas brutally told not to play tennis by coach and former Wimbledon champ, 53

The Sun05-07-2025
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS has been branded "unfit" and "a disaster" by his own coach Goran Ivanisevic.
Former Wimbledon champion Ivanisevic, 53, only began working with the Greek at the start of the grass court season.
5
Having hired the ex-coach of Novak Djokovic, Tsitsipas would have been hoping for a big run in SW19.
But the 26-year-old crashed out in round one, retiring while down 6-3 6-2 to French qualifier Valentin Royer.
Ivanisevic watched the match from courtside having worked with Tsitsipas ahead of the tournament.
Speaking to Clay Magazine, the Croatian was asked if he had spoken to the former world No3 since the match.
Pulling no punches, Ivanisevic said: "I told him not to play tennis right now.
"He needs to fix his back and get physically fit because physically he's a disaster.
"I can't understand how a player of his level can be so unfit. After that, he can think about playing tennis again."
Continuing his scathing assessment, Ivanisevic added: "I didn't expect him to do well.
BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK
5
"His situation is clear: if he changes certain things on the court, and above all off the court, he'll be fine.
"But if he doesn't manage to change those things, then he doesn't have a chance.
Tennis 'cry baby' Tsitsipas sits down and refuses to play after umpire row as he's told 'it might help if you listen'
"To be honest, tennis is the least of his problems. The other stuff is much bigger. I'm sure Stefanos is a top 10 player. He's played two Slam finals, won Masters titles, the ATP Finals...he's a great player.
"The only question is how much he wants it. I believe in him being between fifth and 10th [in the rankings]. But if he keeps going like this, no chance."
Following his defeat to Royer, Tsitsipas revealed that he has been suffering with back issues since the 2023 ATP Finals.
The former two-time Grand Slam finalist has fallen to No26 in the world rankings, and no longer looks like a contender to win tournaments.
5
Wimbledon 2025 LIVE - follow all the latest scores and updates from a thrilling fortnight at SW19
Speaking about his new partnership with Ivanisevic, Tsitsipas said on Monday: "Oh, he's great. We're having a great time.
"I am very disappointed that I wasn't able to show my potential the way I deserve to play on the court. It's not easy. It's not easy.
"I feel like even if he gives me the most amount of confidence in the world, if I don't feel comfortable, if I don't feel good with myself and my body, then I can't really show anything."
Earlier this week, reports surfaced that Tsitsipas has broken up with long-term girlfriend Paula Badosa.
Reports surfaced just a day after both players crashed out of Wimbledon in round one.
The pair began dating in May 2023, and briefly broke up last year before quickly reconciling.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Karen Carney fights back tears over women's football backlash at Euro 2025 final
Karen Carney fights back tears over women's football backlash at Euro 2025 final

The Independent

time19 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Karen Carney fights back tears over women's football backlash at Euro 2025 final

A former England player and ITV presenter was moved by a compilation of footage showing past criticism of women's football ahead of the Euro 2025 final on Sunday, 27 July. As the Lionesses prepared to face Spain, the broadcaster aired an interview with Beth Mead in which the striker recalled how she was laughed at when she started her career playing for a boys' team. Karen Carney, one of England's most-capped players, became emotional after the interview finished as she reflected on how far the sport has come. "There is a little girl and also a little boy that now knows that there is a place for everybody to play football," she said.

Lewis Hamilton criticises delayed start to Belgian GP – but team bosses side with FIA
Lewis Hamilton criticises delayed start to Belgian GP – but team bosses side with FIA

The Independent

time19 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Lewis Hamilton criticises delayed start to Belgian GP – but team bosses side with FIA

Lewis Hamilton believes the Belgian Grand Prix should have resumed earlier after a cautious approach from the FIA amid wet conditions at Spa-Francorchamps. After an 80-minute delay due to a heavy downpour, the race restarted with four laps behind the safety car, despite the track drying rapidly in most areas. The 44-lap grand prix begun with a rolling start, rather than the usual standing start and seven-time world champion Hamilton believed race control compensated for the last race at Silverstone, where a crash occurred due to lack of visibility in the rain. 'We started the race a little bit too late, I would say,' said Hamilton, who started in the pit-lane and finished seventh to conclude a wretched weekend. 'I kept shouting 'it's ready to go, it's ready to go'. They kept going round and round. So, I think they're probably overreacting from the last race, where we asked them not to restart the race too early, because the visibility was bad. 'I think this weekend they just went a bit too much the other way, because we didn't need a rolling start.' 'My car was set up for that [rain], they waited for it to dry pretty much. They definitely could have done a standing start, especially at the end there, because it was almost a dry line. There was hardly any spray.' Max Verstappen agreed with Hamilton, calling the delay 'silly' over team radio. However, Hamilton's boss at Ferrari, team principal Fred Vasseur, thought race director Rui Marques was correct to err on the side of caution, particularly given past crashes in the rain at Spa. 'The spray is coming from the floor, there is nothing we can do,' he said. 'The limitation is not the grip, the limitation is visibility. The helmet camera shows it, you can understand in this situation that they see absolutely nothing. 'Remember what happened in Silverstone with the crash, this is the most dangerous. We can't blame them, we would be the first one to give them s*** if something happened. 'I was comfortable in respecting their decision because they have a huge responsibility.' McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, whose drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris led home another one-two finish for the runaway leaders, also concurred with the FIA's decision-making. 'I think today the race was managed in a very wise way by the FIA,' he said. 'We knew there was a lot of rain coming. Delaying the race allowed us to race in wet conditions and we went into dry. We didn't even know how long the dry race would've been. 'I think from our position we always praise the work of the FIA when this is deserved and this is one of the cases.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store