Denis Shapovalov's coach gives "scandalous" take on ATP, WTA coaches; calls them "glorified towel boys or towel girls"

Denis Shapovalov's renowned tennis coach and former pro, Janko Tipsarevic, opened up about the situation of coaches in the tennis community. He drew a comparison of the mentorship scenario from tennis to other team event sports like the NFL and NHL. The Serbian also extended a concerning plea to WTA coaches.

Tipsarević, a former professional tennis player from Belgrade, Serbia, achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 8 in April 2012. He secured four ATP singles titles and was instrumental in Serbia's Davis Cup victory in 2010. He later transitioned into coaching and began working with fellow Serbian player Filip Krajinović in late 2019. He has been guiding young talent through his Tipsarević Tennis Academy in Belgrade after that.

In a recent episode of The Tennis Podcast, Tipsarevic discussed the situation of coaches in ATP and WTA. According to the Serbian coach, the mentors play a minimal role in guiding and supporting players. He compared it to team sports, where coaches have to play a major role in helping teams reach the top.

“I know this may be scandalous, my opinion about us as coaches for tennis as a sport, considering the tennis is the third or fourth most popular sport in the world. I believe in terms of knowledge and the dedication and everything that comes with it, we are at the absolute bottom of the barrel.

"If you compare us, and when I say us, I mean coaches, to other coaching industries, and this may be football, or basketball, or NFL, or NHL, or even cricket, or handball, or volleyball. How much do you have to prepare? How much do you have to analyze?" he said.

Denis Shapovalov's coach, Tipsarevic, stated that most of the coaches are just 'towel boys or towel girls.'

"I see and feel that there's a tremendous amount of people on the ATP or WTA tour which are glorified towel boys or towel girls. They do nothing else outside of saying, well done, hope you feel well. They are afraid to confront the player or talk to the player in a way that a coach should by being scared. And this is a second topic of losing their job,” the Serb added.

Currently guiding the ATP star Denis Shapovalov, Janko Tipsarevic is set to enter the BNP Paribas Open with the goal of helping the Canadian reach the top.

Janko Tipsarevic boldly compares Denis Shapovalov to Roger Federer

Denis Shapovalov at the ATP 500 Dallas Open 2025 - Final Day - Source: Getty

Denis Shapovalov's coach, Janko Tipsarevic, expressed sheer optimism about his form. The Serbian mentor compared Shapovalov to the Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer. According to him, the Canadian has a massive potential to unlock countless opportunities on the court. However, his verdict didn't show up without a condition.

"On the court, I feel Denis Shapovalov being a type of player, if I can be brave enough to make a comparison, [is] somebody like Roger. I feel Denis being extremely talented, having a tremendous amount of possibilities that he can unlock in the court. But he needs to stay true to his personality and his game, which is the best version of himself - this ultra aggressive tennis. This is why I say Roger," he said, in the aforementioned podcast.

Ranked 28th in the world, Denis Shapovalov is all set to begin his Indian Wells campaign on March 7. However, his opening match rival is yet to be determined.