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Stefanos Tsitsipas highlights his father Apostolos Tsitsipas as a key part of his team as the Greek tennis star reveals he feels "a part of my identity as a player is lost" whenever he is not accompanied by his father.
Tsitsipas, 25, has worked with his father Apostolos during his entire career but there were times when they would make a brief pause in their partnership. Over the last couple of years, Tsitsipas received some criticism over continuing to work with his father when it wasn't leading him to Grand Slam titles or the world No. 1 ranking.
After last year's Wimbledon, Tsitsipas brought back Mark Philippoussis to his coaching staff and the plan was to work full-time with the 2003 Wimbledon finalist, while Apostolos would join them for the US Open. But that was pretty short-lived as after suffering a shock US Open second-round loss, Tsitsipas parted ways with Philippoussis and brought back his father Apostolos as his full-time coach.
Tsitsipas gets very honest on the role of his father
“My father and I have always had tennis as an element in common, it was something of ours, that we have always shared. When he is not with me, I feel that a part of my identity as a player is lost,” Tsitsipas told ERT.
“On different occasions in the past, he was with me and I felt like he was half the player. Sometimes I don’t speak too well of him, but he’s the only person who understands me, and that’s part of the job. The good thing is that we can separate the father aspect from the facet as a coach.”
Meanwhile, Tsitsipas didn't manage to start the 2024 season by winning a maiden Grand Slam title. At this past Australian Open, Tsitsipas managed to make the second week but then exited the tournament in the round-of-16 following a loss to Taylor Fritz.
This weekend, Tsitsipas is representing Greece in a Davis Cup tie against Romania.