Greek star Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mother, Julia Salnikova, a former player, has recently shared her thoughts on why the notable coach Goran Ivanišević was unable to become a long-time coach of Tsitsipas.
The World No. 34 had concluded his 2025 season with a single title, the Dubai Tennis Championships, which he clinched after defeating Félix Auger-Aliassime in the final round, while also making his debut in the Six Kings Slam, an exhibition match.
What Did Julia Salnikova Reflect on About His Son’s Brief Partnership With the Former Coach of Novak Djokovic?
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mother, Julia Salnikova, was a Russian-Greek former player and represented both countries throughout her career. Her father was Sergei Salnikov, a member of the Soviet association football national team, who won a gold medal at the 1956 Summer Olympics. She had the highest rankings of No. 194 in singles and No. 130 in doubles.
She had also won a gold medal and a bronze medal at the 1984 Friendship Games and played on the WTA Tour till 1992. Apart from her sports career, she also excelled academically, earning her graduation degree in journalism from Moscow State University in 1990. She later moved to Greece after marrying Apostolos Tsitsipas.
In her recent interview with Pavel Nitkin of Sports.ru, Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mother shed light on why his relationship with Ivanišević could not grow. Furthermore, she also highlighted the reason why they were not able to develop a deep coach-player bond, as Ivanišević’s bond with Serbian legend Novak Djokovic was all-consuming for the Croatian player-turned-coach.
She added, “Because Goran Ivanišević never intended to build them. Goran Ivanišević’s history as a coach begins and ends with a player named Novak Djokovic. He completely lost himself in him. I saw it. It shocked me. He treated Djokovic as a dear person who needed all-round support. Ivanisevic was ready to do anything for Djokovic, willing to fulfill any whim. And that won me over.”
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Tsitsipas’ mother continued reflecting on the brief mentorship her son had with Ivanišević, “It turned out to be an illusion. Observing this relationship, I naively assumed it could be the same with the next player. But such love happens once in a lifetime; no one can repeat it. There was no way to buy into this.”
In May 2025, Tsitsipas announced that Ivanišević would be his coach moving forward, and they announced their split just under two months later. During the interview, Salnikova shared that she decided to hire Ivanišević for his son, adding, “It was my idea.” However, after his split, the Greek talent rehired his father, Apostolos, who had been his coach from 2001 to 2024.
