Stefanos Tsitsipas has parted ways with his father as his tennis coach, a day after lashing out at his father after his shock defeat at the National Bank Open in Montreal.
Tsitsipas, ranked 11th in the world, lost to Kei Nishikori of Japan. World ranking: 576thHe won in straight sets in the first round of the ATP Tour tournament on Thursday.
The 25-year-old Tsitsipas got into an argument with his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, during the match and later lashed out at his father in a media statement after the match.
“As a player I need and deserve a coach who listens to me and listens to my feedback,” Tsitsipas told reporters after detailing a disagreement with his father over changing strings on his racket. “My father is not very smart or good at dealing with those situations. This is not the first time he has done that.
“I’m really disappointed for him. I don’t know if I’d consider making a change at this point, but I’m really disappointed. The most important thing for a player is to get good feedback directly from the coach. It’s not the coach who’s holding the racket. It’s the player who’s trying to execute the game plan.”
“It’s a collaborative effort that we work on together. It has to be mutual if I’m going to develop my tennis. I don’t want to stop there.”
Tsitsipas announced on Friday that his father was stepping down as his coach.
“It is with great sadness that I announce that my partnership with my father as coach has come to an end. I would like him to focus solely on his role as a father.” Tsitsipas wrote in X.
He went on to say that his “introverted” nature caused him to bottle up frustrations which eventually exploded, and that he regrets his actions.
“My behaviour on the pitch is unacceptable and I am disappointed that I have reached a point where I have shown my dark side. When I feel disrespected, criticised or emotionally attacked, it is easy to lose control of the words that come out of my mouth, which goes against my values as a person. I lost control and was unable to see clearly what was in front of me,” Tsitsipas continued.
“My father has spent the last few years on and off the field training me, raising me the right way and trying to impart knowledge and wisdom to me, and for that I am grateful. I am also grateful for the sacrifices, pain and suffering he has endured to make this endeavor a success. From now on, his role will be limited to that of a father and that will be it.”
Tsitsipas said his father would continue to accompany him and that he was not considering a replacement coach.
Thursday’s match was Tsitsipas’ first since losing in the Olympic quarterfinals to eventual gold medalist Novak Djokovic.
