Stefanos Tsitsipas declines to comment on Goran Ivanisevic coaching rumors

Defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas sidestepped coaching rumors linking him to Goran Ivanisevic after he bowed out of the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Tennis fans and media have been aflutter after Greek outlet Gazzetta reported that Tsitsipas was preparing to hire the 2001 Wimbledon winner and former coach of Novak Djokovic after the clay-court season. But the No. 6 seed pumped the brakes on all the speculation when asked about the topic after his defeat.

"I'm not in a position to answer that yet," Tsitsipas told the press in Monte Carlo.

Read More: Lorenzo Musetti manifests 'special' week in Monte Carlo by conquering Stefanos Tsitsipas for first time

Following a series of high-profile coaching hires—including former No. 1 Marat Safin joining forces with Andrey Rublev—the potential move by Tsitsipas similarly turned heads. The 26-year-old has been working with Dimitris Hatzinikolaou, Greece’s Davis Cup captain, on a temporary basis after splitting with dad Apostolos Tsitsipas last August.

Armed with a new mystery racquet, Tsitsipas claimed a 500-level title in Dubai back in February—his first title since last year’s Monte Carlo—amid his struggles to regain his top level. In Monte Carlo, the Greek's year-round residence and most successful Masters 1000 event by far with three wins in the last five years, he reached the quarterfinals before falling to Lorenzo Musetti.

“It’s difficult to accept,” Tsitsipas said. “I mean, feeling so confident playing on this court and not being able to win a match that I felt I kind of had every reason to try and win is definitely heartbreaking.”

The shock loss was compounded as he came into the match with a perfect 5-0 record over the Italian, before Musetti rallied for a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory. Tsitsipas racked up 45 unforced errors, including 23 off the forehand wing, and made only 49 percent (42/85) of first serves across two hours and 23 minutes on Court Rainier III.

“The serve definitely was the thing that kind of was missing, but also, it didn't help me when I needed it,” he added. “I was playing with a second serve. The entire second and third set, I was playing with just one serve…

“I just feel like I could have done way more today. I missed forehands I never miss. I was actually quite surprised to see those forehands go out or to the net.”

We’ll have to wait and see if these are issues that Ivanisevic will potentially be addressing—if the Croatian indeed joins Tsitsipas’ coaching team after Roland Garros.

Ivanisevic has previously worked with Marin Cilic, Tomas Berdych, Milos Raonic and more, though his most successful stint saw him rack up 12 Grand Slam victories with Djokovic over their six-year partnership. He began the 2025 season working with former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, but he announced the end of their coaching trial after the Australian Open.

Read More: Goran Ivanisevic wishes Elena Rybakina “best of luck moving forward” as coaching trial ends

World No. 8 Tsitsipas will be back in action at the ATP 500 event in Barcelona, which kicks off on April 14 and will be streaming live on Tennis Channel.