Chris Oddo| @thefanchild | Monday, June 16, 2025
A new era has begun Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The Greeks played with Goran Ivanisevic in his coaching box on Monday, winning the game, defeating Italy’s Luciano Darderi 6-4 3-6 3-6 7-6 (5). Now ranked 25, the former world ranked third, hoping to rebuild his own game and confidence with the legendary Croatian.
Ivanisevic, who coached Novak Djokovic with Grand Slam King to win 12 major titles, warned that the match at Tsitsipas was not easy to resolve.
“I’m not a magician and can make it work in a week,” he told ATP this weekend after practicing at Halle. “It’s been a long process, but he’s a great player. He’s twice in the Grand Slam final and has had a lot of great wins, so I’m not worried that this won’t come back.”
Tsitsipas announced its official pairing at the end of May.
Greek won the championship in Dubai this season with a 19-11 record.
“Goran’s experience, passion for the sport and the mentality of the championship are things I respect so much and I look forward to my journey,” he said on Instagram. “I’m optimistic about what we can build together.”
Ivanisevic, the former second in the world, won the 599 title for the 599 ATP, named Wimbledon, and he said he identified in many ways along with Tsitsipas.
“It’s exciting for me because of his temperament,” ATP Ivansevic said. “The Greek, Croatian temperament is very similar. He is a very radical player and I like it. I always like the way he plays and his style.”
Ivanesivic hopes to “do some input to his game as a server, serve and volleyball”, which can help with Greek on the grass as well as any quick surface. “For me, it’s actually a huge challenge and hopefully it works well,” the 53-year-old added.
Stef by 💪 Fight@steftsitsipas Making R2 in Halle with a fierce battle with Darderi on 6-4 3-6 7-6!#Two25 pic.twitter.com/qk297rl69x
– Tennis TV (@tennistv) June 16, 2025
Ivanisevic said Tsitsipas became a top player once he got the “edge”.
“He is the top 10 players every day for me,” Ivanisevic said. “He lost a little bit at this moment. A lot of things happened and now he has to find it.”
