'Kicked me when I was down': Tsitsipas slams criticism from ex-coach Ivanisevic

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ivanisevic-goran/WhwlIJ6o/"]Ivanisevic[/a], who won Wimbledon during his own distinguished career, suggested that he was even in better shape than the 27-year-old ace when he slammed [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/tsitsipas-stefanos/hb6oWfc6/"]Tsitsipas[/a]' motivation to keep fit.[b] [/b][/p][p][b]“He has to find a solution for his back issue. I was shocked. I’ve never seen such a poorly prepared player in my life. Me, at my age and with this bad knee, I’m three times in better shape than him,”[/b] the former world No. 2 told SportKlub.[/p][p]Ivanisevic, who is today working with French star [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/arthur-fils/IoIhUqIN/"]Arthur Fils[/a], recently said to the same publication that he had no regrets about the criticism made towards Tsitsipas whio ended his collaboration with the Croatian after less than three months.[/p][p][b]“In the end, I didn’t say anything bad. Everything I said was true and proved to be so"[/b], said Ivanisevic after Tsitsipas had dropped down the world rankings following a string of poor performances.  [/p][embed guid="b25e1624-3fd7-407f-94f4-1c43b1e4f1fe" url="https://x.com/TheTennisLetter/status/1950247885611958460" social-type="twitter" /][p]Today, the former world No. 3 Tsitsipas says that Ivanisevic had no sympathy for the fact that the Greeks' preparations for the Grand Slam tournament had been hampered by an injury.[/p][p][b]“I didn’t see any point to the criticism. If it was a way of him pushing me into working harder and getting my s*** together, it was definitely not the right tactic. I was really hurt,”[/b] Tsitsipas says to The Times.[/p][p][b]“I never expected that a coach could do that to me, and the worst thing is that what he said was not true. I was not fit because I had been injured. I hadn’t been practising properly for over two weeks. It was like he kicked me when I was already down."[/b][/p][p]Today, Tsitsipas is working again with his father Apostolos, who has coached him since he was young. They briefly parted ways in 2023, when Tsitsipas fell out with his father and instead hired [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/philippoussis-mark/4Q9zXfRo/"]Mark Philippoussis[/a] in 2023 for a brief period. [/p]