Greek tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas has opened up about his decision to part ways with his father as his coach, attributing the move to a newfound sense of calm and a significant boost in confidence, following his impressive first-round win at the US Open.
Key Points
- Stefanos Tsitsipas ended his coaching relationship with his father, Apostolos, for the second time, seeking a 'different voice' and more calm.
- The Greek tennis star felt 'a lot of chaos' and 'noise' surrounded him previously, prompting the change to improve his performance and mental state.
- Tsitsipas believes the new coaching arrangement has helped him regain confidence after a period of injury and disappointing results.
- He secured his first ATP Tour title in 16 months at the Swiss Open in July, climbing back to 53rd in the rankings.
- His first-round victory at the US Open over Arthur Fils is seen as a significant confidence booster, affirming his game quality.
Stefanos Tsitsipas said ending a coaching relationship with his father Apostolos had brought much-needed calm to his tennis life and rebuilt his confidence after the Greek beat 10th seed Arthur Fils in the first round of the US Open on Monday.
Tsitsipas reached two Grand Slam finals and a career-high ranking of world number three under the guidance of his father, whom he parted ways with in 2024 after a 23-year spell together before renewing the arrangement last year.
Seeking a New Voice
But after injury problems and a string of disappointing results, Tsitsipas split with his father again before Wimbledon this year and brought in Thomas Perrin to his team as he sought to revive his fortunes. "I personally felt like I needed it. I needed a different voice. I needed someone who provides a little bit more calm into my tennis world," Tsitsipas told reporters after beating Fils 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-4.
"There was a lot of chaos surrounding me before and a lot of noise. It took, for me, a long time to figure it out and realise that I just can't cope with it anymore. I also felt I grew up."
No Regrets on the Change
Tsitsipas said he had no regrets about making the change. "I realised that having people who sometimes bring the worst out of you instead of the best ... these are some of the things that need fixing," he added. "As much as I love the person that I work with, my father, and we have an amazing relationship outside of the tennis court, these sort of dynamics don't serve my purpose anymore as much, so I really needed that change."
Renewed Confidence and Form
Tsitsipas ended a 16-month wait for an ATP Tour title when he beat Belgium's Raphael Collignon to win the Swiss Open crown in July after falling outside the world's top 80. He has since climbed to 53rd in the rankings.
The former Australian Open and French Open finalist said he had lost some of his confidence in the months when his form and fitness came into question. "That's why I'm very ecstatic about today," he said of the win over Cincinnati champion Fils. "It's an important, good victory for me, for my confidence. It's one of those moments that you're able to look back into and be like 'I've still got the game that I'm looking for, and I've still got the shots and the quality is still there'.
"These matches, they just give me a lot to work with. I didn't get to play a lot of those this year. I didn't have deep runs in tournaments, as much as I would have wished. Wins like this add a lot to my personal growth as a player. "They definitely provide belief and add more to my game in terms of all the sacrifices I've been putting out there, working so hard, and just showing up early in the morning for practice sessions and then moving on to the gym."
