Tsitsipas didn’t hold back when asked about Apostolos after he wanted him to leave the court in Montreal.
Stefanos Tsitsipas didn’t sugarcoat anything or try to hide that he was unhappy with his father Apostolos following the Montreal Masters drama as the Greek tennis star issued some harsh words about his father and even hinted that a coaching change may be in the cards.
On Thursday, No. 8 seed Tsitsipas crashed out of Montreal in his opening match after Kei Nishikori – who is now ranked at No. 576 in the world – handed the Greek a 6-4 6-4 loss.
But somehow Tsitsipas suffering a shock loss and exiting Montreal early wasn’t the worst thing that happened on Thursday as he got into a tense moment with his father and that made the headlines even before the match was finished. During the first set, Tsitsipas got annoyed with his father to the point where he wanted him to leave. And Petros didn’t make any effort to change his son’s mind, leaving the stadium shortly after.
Later, the 25-year-old Greek accused his father of “not being very smart” when it comes to listening to what he has to say or what he needs in certain moments.
“I’ve already been complaining to my coach about it for the last four-five days. That was also the reason why I had a confrontation with him during the match, I’m not used to it. For me, an ATP Master 1000 match is an important match. I need and I deserve a coach that listens to me and hears my feedback as a player. My father hasn’t been very smart or very good at handling those situations, it’s not the first time he has done that. I’m really disappointed at him,” Tsitsipas said about the incident.
Could Tsitsipas really fire his father?
After making some harsh comments about his father and very openly voicing his displeasure with him, the two-time Grand Slam finalist himself mentioned that a coaching change may happen.
Since basically the start of his career, Tsitsipas has been working with his father. And even though there had been rumors over the years that not everything was great in their relationship, they are still a duo. But that may soon change.
“I really don’t know right now if I’d consider any changes, but I’m really disappointed. The most important thing for a player is to have direct and good feedback from a coach. The coach is not the one holding a racket. The player is the one trying to execute a game plan. It’s a collaborative work that you put in together. It has to be reciprocal in order for me to try to develop my tennis. It’s something I don’t want to get stuck at that,” Tsitsipas added.
Tsitsipas reduced his father’s role last year but it was only for a short period of time
After splitting with Mark Philippoussis in the spring of 2023, Tsitsipas made some interesting coaching choices in the next several months. Shortly after Wimbledon, he decided to get back to working with Philippoussis and then it was indicated that Apostolos would have his role reduced but join them for the US Open.
But then shortly after the US Open, Tsitsipas again parted ways and got back to working with his father full-time. At the time, the Greek tennis star said he felt like he “lost my identity” while he wasn’t working with Apostolos.
“Mark Philippoussis is not part of the team anymore. I wanted to try with a coach and wanted to see how that might work. It was a little bit off tune in many ways. Not having the presence of my dad there felt like I was sort of losing a part of my identity as a player. I wasn’t able to just adjust to the new form or way or teachings or method that were applied by Mark who I admired and liked watching a lot on TV when I way younger,” Tsitsipas said at the time.
“My dad has always been next to me. Even when he was not there and people see him, he was always there digitally. He’s here to stay. I have no intention of ever changing my dad or pushing him away. People are always going to try and create rumors or try to destroy what you have with someone that is really close to you in any way or form. He is someone that cannot be excluded.”
Next week, Tsitsipas is slated to return to action at the Cincinnati Masters and it will be interesting to see if his father Apostolos will also join him there.
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