Novak Djokovic’s former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, has been playing coaching musical chairs ever since splitting with the 24-time Grand Slam champ last year. First stop? Elena Rybakina. But that ride ended before it even picked up speed, thanks to the return of her controversial coach Stefano Vukov. Later, Ivanisevic hitched his hopes to Stefanos Tsitsipas, who was aiming for a career rebound. But that partnership crumbled too. And just when you thought the drama was over, Ivanisevic dropped some brutal truth bombs about the Greek star, truths that didn’t sit well with another coaching heavyweight. Now, the coaches are in a full-on verbal volley.

The two joined forces during this year’s French Open, and Tsitsipas even started with a win at the Halle Open. But it didn’t last long. The Greek star fell to Luciano Darderi in the next match, and his Wimbledon campaign ended with a retirement in the first round against French qualifier Valentin Royer.

Things went south pretty quickly. The Croatian coach didn’t hold back when asked about the partnership. During Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic’s former coach made headlines with a brutally honest take. “I’ve never seen such a poorly prepared player in my life,” he told SportsKlub. “Me, at my age and with this bad knee, I’m three times in better shape than him. I’m not sure what he was doing in the previous 12 months, but his current shape is very poor. The desire is there, but he does nothing to improve things. It’s all ‘I want it, I want it,’ but I don’t see any progress.” Ivanisevic also pointed toward issues in Tsitsipas’ personal life, taking a jab at the rumors surrounding his split with girlfriend Paula Badosa.

Patrick Mouratoglou, who recently parted ways with Naomi Osaka, called out Ivanisevic for the comments. “That’s the opposite of how I understand coaching,” the Frenchman said. “You can discuss your player publicly, but not by throwing him to the wolves. I’m not familiar with the details, but I would be very surprised if they could work together effectively after Goran’s comments. You have to build trust with your player, and this is not the way.”

This has now caused a war of words since Ivanesevic has hit back at Mouratoglou for the criticism. “I’ll talk to him when we see each other. This is absolutely not the right way to go about it. If he has a problem with me, he should call me,” he shot back in a recent interview. “I don’t go around and talk what I think about him. I better not say what I think about him. So for now, I’ll stay quiet—maybe I’ll do it next time.” 

Novak Djokovic’s former coach further said, “If I go to Toronto, Cincinnati, I am most excited to see Mouratoglou, let’s put it this way, to talk to him, to explain a few things. But I knew why he did that. Still, I never had any problem with any coach in my life. Coaches, they should support each other and not go to the internet to talk about other coaches.”

While the two coaches exchange barbs, both are still on the lookout for their next player. Naomi Osaka is moving ahead with Iga Swiatek’s former coach, Tomasz Wiktorowski, though it’s a trial for now. As for Tsitsipas, he’s going back to a familiar face.

Novak Djokovic’s ex-Coach bids farewell as Stefanos Tsitsipas returns to his roots

Last August, after a shocking loss to world No. 576 Kei Nishikori in Montreal, Stefanos Tsitsipas had fired his father, Apostolos, as his coach. The Greek star was left frustrated. “I need and I deserve a coach that listens to me and hears my feedback as a player. My father hasn’t been very smart or very good at handling those situations,” he had said at the time.

Now, it’s all coming full circle, as in Toronto he has now reunited with his father and will be working with him as his coach. Talking about the move, Novak Djokovic’s former coach Goran Ivanisevic said, “We had a nice conversation yesterday. Nothing bad. He is going back to his father, back to his roots. He had his best results with his father; his father knows him the best so I agree that is the right decision. I hope he gets back where he belongs and wish him all the best for the future.”

Tsitsipas is seeded 23rd in Toronto and will play Christopher O’Connell or a qualifier in the second round. What comes next for either coach is still unclear. But with egos bruised and words exchanged, their next handshake might come with a little tension.