Wimbledon champion ripped apart as row breaks out after harsh six-word comment
Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic has come under fire for his harsh criticism of Stefanos Tsitsipas following the latter's early departure from Wimbledon this year. The 26-year-old was forced to retire due to a back injury in the first round at SW19, while two sets down against France's Valentin Royer.
Tsitsipas, currently ranked 26th in the world, had enlisted Ivanisevic as his coach in May, hoping to gain the wisdom the Croatian had imparted to Novak Djokovic before their split in 2024. Despite bringing the 2001 Wimbledon champion on board, Tsitsipas suffered his third first-round exit in the last four Grand Slams.
Following Tsitsipas' withdrawal from Wimbledon due to injury, Ivanisevic criticised his client's preparation and harshly declared: "I'm three times fitter than him."
However, Patrick Mouratoglou, who coached Tsitsipas from 2018 to 2021, has accused Ivanisevic of failing his duties by publicly berating the player.
"Goran going to the press and criticising his player is not coaching," Mouratoglou stated in an Instagram video. "Even more, at that time, they've just started to work together, so no trust is made. You're already killing the person publicly.
"When Goran accepts the job, he knows that Stefanos probably doesn't do things the right way or things need to change, but that's the job. He arrives at a bad moment, but he knows it's a bad moment. It's not a surprise. If you look at the results of Stefanos for one year, they're not even close to what he was doing before. So he knows it's a difficult moment.
"You accept it or you don't accept it. These difficult moments can create wrong behaviours. This is what you need to bring back to good behaviours.
"In a way, it makes me feel that [Ivanisevic] is ashamed of the result and he wants to separate himself from Stefanos to say, 'It's not me, I'm good.' He is not good. That's his fault. So yeah, for a coach to see this, for me it's painful to see it."
Despite retiring in 2004, Ivanisevic reckoned that he was in better shape than Tsitsipas for his match at the All England Club. The Greek star has reached two Grand Slam finals and once held the No.3 world ranking, but Ivanisevic has argued that the player has some issues to iron out before getting his career back on track.
"It's both simple and not simple," Ivanisevic told Serbian outlet Sport Klub, as reported by TNT Sports. "I've spoken to him several times. If he resolves certain off-court issues, he'll have a chance to return to where he belongs, because he's too good to be outside the top 10.
"He says he wants to [return to the top level], but he's not doing anything. It's always '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 fitter than him. It's really bad."
"It's always '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 fitter than him. This is really bad."
Tsitsipas opened up about his ordeal after his underwhelming performance at Wimbledon, linking his downturn to a back injury sustained during the 2023 ATP Finals and lamenting his struggle to find a solution. "It's tough to describe. I'm battling many wars these days," an emotional Tsitsipas admitted
"Since [the 2023 ATP Finals], I've been very fragile with my body, and I've been battling a war of feeling healthy and feeling comfortable going to the extremes, which has been a difficult battle. So I really don't know. I feel like I'm left without answers. I don't know. I've tried everything.
"I've done an incredible job with my fitness. I've done an incredible job with my physiotherapy, so I've maximised on everything that I possibly can do. Right now, I'm just absolutely left with no answers. I don't know what to do."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
22 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Eilish McColgan and partner subjected to 'disgusting' racist abuse online
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Eilish McColgan has revealed she suffered racist abuse online after posting pictures of her engagement to former athlete Michael Rimmer. McColgan, who won a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and was this week named as an official ambassador for the 2026 Games in Glasgow, has called for social media companies to do more to combat online hate. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She would like to see platforms such as X and Instagram use formal identification to prevent the abuse she faces every day. McColgan, 34, says she has become 'numb' to it but appreciates the trauma it causes others. Eilish McColgan, the Commonwealth 10,000m champion, at a Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games photocall at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. | SNS Group Asked specifically about the racial abuse aimed recently at the England footballer Jess Carter during the Euros, McColgan revealed that she and Rimmer had also been targeted. 'For myself, it [the abuse] is always about body image but I recently posted my engagement to my partner and the racist abuse that we received, being a mixed race couple, was honestly disgusting,' said McColgan. 'I've never read anything like it in my life. That was probably pretty eye-opening for me because it was a different type of abuse that was coming towards me that I'd never experienced before. And it's maybe how my parents feel when they read stuff about me. It was me reading that about someone I love, which was difficult to do, so it probably gave me a little bit of a greater appreciation of what my family probably have to go through when they read stuff about me online. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Sadly, that's the downside of social media and the online world that we're in. All we can do is keep standing up for ourselves, voicing our disgust at it, outing people who are maybe not afraid to share their names and stuff online but also ask for verification on social media.' McColgan, who was in Glasgow for the unveiling of the 2026 Commonwealth Games mascot, would like social media users to be verified before being given a platform. Eilish McColgan with Finnie the Unicorn, the official Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games mascot. | SNS Group 'I think social media probably needs to do better, just small verification checks, whether it's uploading a passport, whatever it is,' she said. 'I think it would make a big difference because people won't want their employers seeing what they're saying online. It's harder to hide behind that because there's probably more consequences behind it. I think it stops people from making bad decisions but, as I said, it is part and parcel of just being online.' Carter is part of the England squad that has reached the final of the Euros in Switzerland and said this week she would take a step back from social media after suffering online racist abuse since the tournament began. McColgan expressed sympathy for the footballer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I mean it's obviously not stopping,' said McColgan. 'I don't think it's a new conversation at all. As I said, it's been happening to me for a long long time. It's not right but sadly that's the way the world has gone. 'Honestly, I've become so numb to it. Even speaking about it, I just feel like it's just part of everyday life like I can't stop it so there's no point in me getting all stressed and worked up about it but I do appreciate that for other athletes, it does wind them up and it does actually take a lot out of them emotionally, mentally.
NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
'Chicharito' Hernandez faces backlash in Mexico for 'very sexist' remarks on gender roles
MEXICO CITY — Soccer star Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez is facing backlash from Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum and others for remarks posted on his social media accounts about gender roles. "Chicharito is a very good soccer player," Sheinbaum said at a news conference Wednesday. "But when it comes to his opinion on women ... he still has a lot to learn." She described the former Mexico international's ideas as "very sexist." The former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker, who plays for Chivas, is injured and missed the first two matches of Mexico's Apertura tournament. Over the weekend, he posted several reels and videos, mainly on Instagram. "Don't be afraid to be women, to allow yourselves to be led by a man," the 37-year-old Hernandez said. "Women, you are failing, you are eradicating masculinity, making society hypersensitive." Hernandez, the all-time leading scorer for the Mexican national team with 52 goals, returned to Mexico last year on a two-year deal with Chivas, the team where he began his professional career in 2006. "You women need to learn to accept and honor masculinity," he said in another one of his posts. In another, he said to the camera: "You want a man to provide, but for you, cleaning is patriarchal oppression... interesting." Sheinbaum, a 63-year-old scientist, was elected last year as the first female president in the country's 200-year history. "I'm a mother, I'm a grandmother, I'm also a housewife," the president added Wednesday. "But I'm also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. Women can be whatever we want." Hernandez is a divorced father of two who has a habit of kneeling in the middle of the pitch to pray before the start of matches. He began creating content for a YouTube channel where he portrayed his life as a player with West Ham and his marriage. Hernandez had a low profile on social media before hiring life coach Diego Dreyfus, to whom many attribute much of "Chicharito's" new persona. Criticism followed his recent statements, with some urging him to limit himself to soccer, given that his performance since returning to the Mexican league last year has not been as expected. Hernandez, who also played for Bayer Leverkusen, West Ham and Sevilla, has scored just two goals in 25 matches in his first two tournaments back in Mexico. A few hours after the president's remarks, Hernandez was fined by the by the Gender and Diversity Commission of the Mexican Soccer Federation and by Chivas. "A few days ago, on the social platform Javier Chicharito Hernández made statements that promote sexist stereotypes that are considered media violence and go against gender equality in the sport," a statement from the federation said. The federation did not disclose the amount of the fine but said that a more severe penalty awaits if he does it again. Chivas didn't mention Hernandez by name in announcing its fine, only saying that the team is against "behavior that reinforces stereotypes that limit the freedom, respect, and full development of all people, both inside and outside of sports." This is the first time that the federation has sanctioned a player for misogynistic comments. Earlier this year businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego, the owner of the Mazatlán and Puebla clubs, made harsh statements about female journalists and was left unpunished. Chicharito has been banned from the national team since 2019 after he, alongside other players, organized a non-authorized party in New York after a game against the United States.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Gisele Bundchen gives rare look at baby son with boyfriend Joaquim Valente as she celebrates 45th birthday
Gisele Bündchen gave her 22.9 million Instagram followers a rare glimpse of her baby son on Wednesday. She shares the tot, who is around five months old, with her Brazilian jiu-jitsu instructor–turned–boyfriend, Joaquim Valente. The baby boy looked adorable as he sat on his mother's lap in a sweet photo taken outside in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of her home country of Brazil. She had ventured south of the border after she was recently seen making a risky move while on a stroll near her home in Florida with her son. Gisele's son — whose name has not yet been publicly revealed — joined her as she celebrated her 45th birthday with family members surrounding her. Among them was her fraternal twin sister Patricia, who beamed while posing with Gisele as they held matching birthday cakes. The sisters' birthday is on July 20, but Gisele noted in a tribute that their late mother's birthday was on July 23, the day she shared the post. Their birthday celebrations took place in the midst of a gorgeous forest, and the supermodel shared another stunning photo in which she held her young son harnessed to her chest as she explored the wilderness while gazing at a picturesque waterfall in the distance. While Gisele's son — whose middle name is reportedly 'River' — wasn't old enough to get his mother a present, he was still able to give her a sweet card after getting a bit of help. The catwalk star included a sweet card reading 'Happy Birthday Mom!!!' in Brazilian Portuguese, but it was signed with her son's cute foot print that looked as if it could have been made with burgundy-colored paint, or perhaps a jam or berry purée. Gisele shares two older children with her ex-husband Tom Brady: her son Benjamin, 15, and her daughter Vivian, 12. She also has a 17-year-old stepson Jack, whom her ex shares with his former partner, Bridget Moynahan. Another photo from Gisele's nature explorations showed her grasping the arm of a young girl, who appeared from behind to be Vivian. They stopped to admire a smaller waterfall tucked away in the trees. Gisele revealed that her boyfriend Joaquim had joined her for the family trip. He stood next to her and held their son, whose face was again covered up with a white heart, as they posed for a large family photo at an outdoor dining table on a wooden deck. Tucked in with her photos was a gorgeous black-and-white portrait of Gisele's mother Vânia Nonnenmacher, to whom she looks nearly identical. 'Haven't been around here much, but I wanted to take a moment to say thank you for all the warm birthday wishes,' Gisele wrote in her caption. 'I'm so grateful for another trip around the sun and even more grateful to have spent it in nature, surrounded by love and my family. 'Today is also my mom's birthday. We miss her deeply, but we know she's always with us. I continue to trust and welcome life with an open heart, holding gratitude for all that is still to come,' Gisele continued. 'Sending love to everyone ❤️.' The Brazilian model's mother died at age 75 in January 2024 from cancer. Gisele has been focused on raising her family in recent years after retiring from the runway back in 2016. In May, she revealed that her life was starting to settle down again after she welcome her son in February. 'Now that my little one is sleeping through the night, I'm back in control of my routine,' she shared with Vogue France in May. 'As any new mom knows, it's incredible how much sleep — or lack of it — can change everything! But once again, I feel truly grateful: being able to be home with my kids and enjoy every moment with them is priceless.' Gisele's relationship with Joachim began professional in 2021, when she and her children began taking jiu-jitsu classes at the center he runs with his brother. Then, in October 2022, she and her husband Tom announced that they were divorcing. Gisele and Joaquim courted scandal when she were pictured traveling together to Costa Rica in November 2022, just two weeks after her rapid divorce was finalized. However, she denied ever having an affair with the 35-year-old martial arts instructor during her 13-year-old marriage to the football icon.
