Stefanos Tsitsipas shocked the tennis world on May 29 by naming Goran Ivanisevic as his new coach after an early exit at the French Open, his earliest since 2018. The Greek star has struggled with form, dropping to No. 25 in the ATP rankings. He is eager to revive his career following disappointing Grand Slam results. Ivanisevic, a Wimbledon champion and experienced coach, brings valuable expertise, especially on serving. Their partnership will be tested on grass courts, but an American ex-pro believes it’s already showing its colors!

On Monday, Andy Roddick sat down with Tennis Channel to chat about Stefanos’ form at the Halle Open. Facing Italy’s Luciano Darderi in his opening round was no easy task, but the Greek prevailed! Noting the changes in his form, Roddick stated, “Stef needs a jolt of energy, right? And a reason to focus. And obviously, when you have someone who has won Wimbledon in your corner, you’d be well served to listen. You can see Stef playing with maybe a little bit of a different intensity, maybe more intentional, maybe fewer glances and questioning looks.”

And true to Roddick’s words, Stefanos Tsitsipas overcame his obstacles. The match stretched beyond two hours, testing Tsitsipas’s nerves, especially in the nail-biting third-set tiebreak. As Roddick observed, “He was leaning into the backhand a little bit more out there, exposing himself, right there, a little, to take the second set.” Tsitsipas battled through fierce rallies and clutch moments, ultimately coming out on top in a contest that truly could have swung either way. Especially with the injury scare the Greek faced mid-match!

At 4-3 in the third set, Tsitsipas called for a medical timeout, clearly feeling some trouble in his lower back. The tournament physio quickly stepped in, checked him out, and even gave him a quick massage. However, while it concerned a few, Roddick remains confident in his ability to keep pushing!

He added, “It doesn’t really matter who your coach is if the body is not working. All in all, I like what I saw from Stef today. Mixing it up, coming in a little bit on the serve. But right there, regardless of how this could go from this point forward, he ends up winning the match.” This comes after Goran’s comments on how he intends to help Stefanos, which are quite eye-opening!

Speaking to an HRT media outlet on June 13, the former coach of Novak Djokovic was honest about his partnership’s expectations. “Right now, I can’t say that he is in his best tennis and physical condition. He is a player who should be among the top five in the world in terms of potential, results and everything else.” Tsitsipas burst onto the tennis scene with flair, turning pro in 2016 and quickly climbing to a career-high World No. 3 by August 2021. But now, out of the top 10, Ivanisevic is frank. He acknowledges he cannot change him “overnight.”

That might be true. But to Roddick, Stefanos Tsitsipas is already looking much more comfortable on the court! “He looked composed, doesn’t look stressed. This is a great move, a move that he has to make, and I think this is going to be a great partnership,” he concluded. It’s a huge change, and perhaps it’ll deliver the results he needs. Not to mention, even Stefanos agrees that he’s quite confident in Goran’s ability to help him rise again!

Stefanos Tsitsipas opens up about working with Goran Ivanesevic

Ahead of the Halle Open, Tsitsipas shared with Tennis Channel DE what he’s already loving about working with his new coach. Their partnership kicked off right after the French Open, and Tsitsipas is soaking up knowledge fast. “We have already started working together and I am learning a lot every day,” he said. The two-time Grand Slam finalist is especially eager to sharpen his serve. “Well, I think it’s fair to say that Goran is one of the best servers of all time,” he added. “So I think the serve is definitely one of the priorities.”

Ivanisevic’s credentials are impressive: Wimbledon champ in 2001, 22-time ATP title winner, and former world No. 2. Tsitsipas knows there’s more to gain beyond just serving tips. “He also has a wealth of experience in his career, both as a coach and as a player. That’s why I try to learn as much as possible from him.” Despite 14 ATP titles, Tsitsipas has only one on grass, from Mallorca in 2022. With Ivanisevic—who reached three other Wimbledon finals besides his win—Tsitsipas is in a great spot to prep for the London Slam.

Talking to the ATP Tour, Ivanisevic was honest about what Tsitsipas needs on grass. “There is a lot to work with,” he said. “Generally, he doesn’t have good results on grass. I don’t know why. It’s only [mental].” Tsitsipas’s grass record is 32 wins and 21 losses, about 60%. While he’s crushed it on clay and hard courts, grass has been tricky. He’s made the Wimbledon fourth round twice and won just once on grass at Mallorca.

Ivanisevic’s advice? “If you put in your head, ‘I cannot play on grass,’ then you cannot play well, because grass doesn’t forgive you anything. If you get pissed on grass, the grass gives you it back. You have to be nice to the grass.”

With the next round coming up, all eyes are on Stefanos Tsitsipas to see if he can push past his hurdles and make a deep run before Wimbledon. What do you think? Will this new duo spark a grass-court breakthrough? Drop your thoughts below!