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Stefanos Tsitsipas' title defense at the Monte-Carlo Masters 2025 came to an end with a 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 loss to Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals on Friday, April 11. He had won all six of his prior meetings against the Italian, five of which had been on clay.
When Tsitsipas breezed through the opening set, it looked like history would repeat itself. However, Musetti had other plans and flipped the script to snap his losing skid against his rival. Amidst his campaign in Monte Carlo, rumors also began to swirl regarding an impending coaching addition to the Greek's entourage.
Greek media outlet Gazetta reported that Tsitsipas was set to hire Goran Ivanisevic, former coach of Novak Djokovic and Elena Rybakina, after the clay swing. He was asked to clarify the same during his post-match conference following his loss to Musetti.
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Tsitsipas was in no mood to play ball and gave a curt reply to the reporter's query. He declined to comment on the veracity of the claim, stating that he was in no position to do so.
"I'm not in a position to answer that yet," Tsitsipas on potentially teaming up with Ivanisevic.
Perhaps the rumors are simply rumors, or maybe the final negotiations are still on, and Tsitsipas doesn't want to confirm anything until everything is finalized. He is currently working with Dimitris Hatzinikolaou, the captain of the Greece Davis Cup team, on a temporary basis. He was previously coached by his father, Apostolos, but split with him in August 2024. However, a more pressing matter would be the fallout from his Monte-Carlo Masters loss.
Stefanos Tsitsipas to exit the top 15 of the rankings after his exit from the Monte-Carlo Masters
Stefanos Tsitsipas' failure to defend his Monte-Carlo Masters title is going to have huge implications for him. When the ATP rankings are updated next week, he will be out of the top 15 for the first time since October 2018. His slide down the rankings would mean bumping into top players earlier than usual.
Given his lopsided record against most top players, this could result in more early exits for Tsitsipas. He has lost all six of his matches against Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic leads him 12-2 in their head-to-head. The Greek does have a 6-3 record against Jannik Sinner, though the latter has won two of their last three matches.
Tsitsipas will be keen to get his affairs sorted as soon as possible. While the team-up with Goran Ivanisevic remains unconfirmed for now, hiring him wouldn't be a bad idea at all. He has a good track record as a coach and could help the 26-year-old regain his position as a top player.
