Stefanos Tsitsipas promises a more ‘mature’ and ‘strict’ coaching relationship with father
Stefanos Tsitsipas has said that he is aiming for a ‘mature’ relationship with his father, after the two recently reconciled their player-coach relationship.
The Greek is currently occupying the world No 30 spot, his lowest position since 2018, after a series of disappointing results.
Since lifting the title at the ATP 500 event in Dubai in February, the two-time Grand Slam finalist has failed to reach a semi-final at any tournament.
Tsitsipas, shortly before the grass-court season, revealed that he was beginning a player-coach partnership with 2001 Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic.
However, after a first-round retirement at SW19 led to some harsh comments from the Croat, the two mutually agreed to split ways.
Now, as many had presumed, Tsitsipas is looking to rekindle his on-court relationship with his father, Apostolos – who he split from, as coach, in late 2024.
“It was a very difficult ending, the way it ended last year with him,” the Greek said to Ziggo Sport.
“He managed to get me to a point that I honestly didn’t even recognize myself, the way it ended and the way I reacted to this relationship, partnership that we formed over the last couple of years, the way it ended was very obnoxious and unexpected that it would happen in that way, in that fashion.
“But there are a lot of things that I regret from it. There are a lot of things that I wouldn’t want to repeat because even my behaviour and my reaction to it wasn’t very mature or wasn’t very me.
“He (Apostolos) definitely made me lose my control, my inner control as well. But we’ve talked a lot. Since then, we’ve spent a lot of weeks together.
“He’s been on a tour occasionally here and there, not as my coach, but as my father.
“I think I have to be strict with him. Sometimes I feel like he wants to do too many things on his own.
“I’m trying to recalibrate that and make him understand that it’s also certain things need to happen the way I want them to happen.
“I think this relationship deserves way more than the way we’ve been treating it in the past.”
Tsitsipas is due to return to the tour at the Canadian Masters and will face either Christopher O’Connell or Tseng Chun-hsin in his second-round match.
The former world No 3 will be hoping for a better week of tennis, after not claiming consecutive match wins in over three months.
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However, most concerningly, the Greek retired after going down 6-3, 6-2 to Valentin Royer in his opening-round Wimbledon match – due to back pain.
That discomfort has been a chronic issue for Tsitsipas since the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals.
“I’m feeling much, much better. I wouldn’t have imagined that three weeks ago I would be in the position I am now because I was in a really bad state, physically mainly,” Tsitsipas added.
“But we all know that once you’re physically not there, it affects the other chain too. It affects you mentally, it affects you in all kinds of ways and forms.
“In a situation like this, I just need to stay strong. I’m happy I’m in Toronto, it was not part of the plan. It’s been a tumultuous period.”
