It’s only Day 1 at Wimbledon, and the injury curse has already struck twice. Earlier in the afternoon, it was a heart-wrenching scene on Court 14 as two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur was forced to retire from her opening match. She lost a tight first set in a tiebreak and was down 2-0 in the second when she called it quits. A medical timeout during the opening set hinted that something was wrong, and tears soon followed as she made the painful decision to withdraw. Looks like Stefanos Tsitsipas has joined her in this unfortunate club.

The 24th seed was up against World No.113 Valentin Royer, and things unraveled quickly. Tsitsipas dropped the first set 6-3 and was trailing 5-2 in the second when he called for the physio. Despite receiving treatment, he continued playing, only to lose the set 6-2. Then came the telling moment as the Greek tennis star appeared to ask his coach Goran Ivanisevic for advice on whether to carry on before walking up to the chair umpire and signaling his retirement.

Jannik Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill had offered a telling update last week, revealing that Stefanos Tsitsipas had been dealing with back trouble while practicing with the Italian. That concern turned into a real setback when the injury resurfaced during Tsitsipas’ first-round match.

Wimbledon 2025 has already seen a few notable names fall early. Ninth seed Daniil Medvedev became the most high-profile exit so far, losing in four sets to Benjamin Bonzi. On the women’s side, Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, seeded 20th, lost a tight three-set battle to British No. 3 Sonay Kartal. But for Tsitsipas, the disappointment feels more personal. His early exit comes just as he embarks on a fresh coaching partnership that was meant to reset the trajectory of his career.

Stefanos Tsitsipas admits he has “wasted time” with coaching change

Stefanos Tsitsipas had recently brought on Goran Ivanisevic as his coach, a bold and long-awaited move after years of working on and off with his father, Apostolos. Ivanisevic, a former world No. 2, is no stranger to Wimbledon glory—he famously won the title in 2001 as a wild card and later coached Novak Djokovic to nine Grand Slam titles between 2019 and 2024. He also guided Marin Cilic to his first and only major title at the 2014 US Open. With a résumé packed with major wins and comeback stories, Ivanisevic was seen as the perfect figure to help Tsitsipas rediscover his best tennis.

In a candid reflection on the new coaching partnership, Tsitsipas revealed, “It could have definitely happened earlier, to be honest. But I learned from those things. Okay, yes, it could have happened then, but it happened now, so it doesn’t matter anymore. I could have benefited having Goran maybe three, four years ago. And he could have taught me the valuable things that I’m learning today, maybe a little bit earlier. But that thing doesn’t matter. I’m just hypothesising right now.”

The 26-year-old continued, “I feel like, yeah, I’ve wasted time of maybe not feeling like I’ve grown as a player and I feel like I’ve been practising the same methods, same things for years and years and years.”

For the first time in years, he feels a shift, a break from routine, a different voice in his corner, a new energy. “I’m at a stage of my life and my career where I want something refreshing, I want something new, I want something exciting, I want something that has a different language to it, a different language programmed,” he explained.

For Ivanisevic, coaching Tsitsipas offers a familiar challenge. A player once at the top of the game, now searching for a way back. It’s a path the Croatian knows well. He firmly believes his new charge belongs among the sport’s elite.

While this year’s Wimbledon ended in heartbreak for Tsitsipas, it may yet prove to be the beginning of a necessary transformation. With Ivanisevic by his side and the hard-court season ahead, the Greek star will now look to turn the page and reclaim his place at the top.