Stefanos Tsitsipas’ tumultuous on-off coaching partnership with his father, Apostolos, has been a big talking point for years. The pair have had spats on and off the court, and have split several times since the former world No. 3 turned professional. And Tsitsipas decided to end his working relationship with his dad again ahead of Wimbledon.
It has so far paid off, and the Greek ace recently lifted his first title in more than a year in Gstaad, with new coach Thomas Perrin of the Mouratoglou Academy in his corner. Tsitsipas has now come through qualifying to reach the main draw of the Canadian Open, where he is a former finalist, and beat fellow qualifier Martin Damm in his opening match.
The ATP and WTA Tours alternate between Montreal and Toronto each year for the Canadian Open. While Tsitsipas has enjoyed some success in the Ontario capital, this was his first-ever win in Montreal.
And the current world No. 53 took aim at his coaching partnership with his father after breaking new ground, hinting that he couldn’t trust Apostolos. Discussing his new partnership with Perrin, the 13-time title winner said: “It’s a chapter that should have started a long time ago.
“I guess I was too patient with my time and too nice with handling certain things, to take so much time to proceed with the change. But it’s how life works. Certain things come at a certain time. I’m very Buddhist in that sort of philosophy. So now we are here, and we are doing it the way I like it. I want it to be done like that. I want it to be done with a coach that I am happy with right now. And he’s someone that I trust.
“Patrick [Moutatoglou] is also someone that is supervising as well. So these are the people that have been with me since day one, people that believe in the academy, people that want the best for me, and that’s the most important, working with those that will bleed for you.”
While Tsitsipas hasn’t had a wholly positive experience working with his dad, other father-son coaching partnerships have flourished. Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton are among those who have long been mentored by their dads, and the Greek star cited them as examples of healthy working relationships – something he suggested he didn’t have.
“You don’t see it very often. It’s a heavy relationship. And for some it works, which is great. Like for Zverev and Shelton, it works,” he added.
“And sometimes I actually wish, to be honest, I see Shelton’s father. He’s an example to me of how a father should be around his child playing competitive tennis. Like he’s the perfect example, and I see him, and I’m like sometimes wishing things were like that, but unfortunately, they aren’t. But I am a big fan of Shelton. I am a big fan of his father and the way their dynamic works. So I see it as a great example.”
Tsitsipas will now turn his attention to his second-round match in Montreal, where he faces Brazilian teenage sensation and No. 22 seed Joao Fonseca, who beat him in a Davis Cup tie last year.