Stefanos Tsitstipas has failed to reach the fourth round of the US Open for the sixth successive year. He has been playing in the event since 2018 and has now won six matches out of twelve. Compared to the other grand slams, Tsitsipas has always faced trouble at the US Open. Although he has played well the whole season, Tsitsipas always falls early in the season’s final major.
The 25-year-old had recently appointed Mark Philippoussis as his coach. Philippoussis had parted ways in May after being with him in the second half of the 2022 season.
Tsitsipas had parted ways with his father a few weeks ago as Philippoussis stepped in. Now, with a second-round defeat at the US Open, he is back with his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas. The official ATP website now shows his father as the coach.
Yep. The first Apostolos-less experience didn’t work…
R2 on Canada and US Open, R3 in Cincinnati https://t.co/q0BNQmvmpl
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) August 30, 2023
Stefanos Tsitsipas had revealed that he had given his father, who had been coaching him since childhood, a break. He felt that his father needed a break from the tour.
Tsitsipas desperately needs Apostolos, as his current form has been going down in each event. He started the year ranked No. 3 and is now ranked No. 7. Tsitsipas will need to think deeply and decide on the coaching change.
Stefanos Tsitsipas feeling stuck with coaching troubles
Tsitsipas has been consistent on the court with his performance. His off-court life, however, has not been as smooth over the past few years. The coaching troubles began last season as Philippoussis became his assistant coach after the first half of the season. Tsitsipas saw his performance go down as Philippoussis came but started playing at the beginning of this year.
The Greek player reached the finals of the Australian Open but was struggling to win a title since the coaching change. He would always falter in the semifinal or the final but could never lift the trophy. A few days before the French Open this year, Tsitsipas removed Philippoussis from his team. A few months later, he won his first title of the season at Las Cabos.
Tsitsipas will no longer be working with Mark Philippoussis. https://t.co/FLaq6FFFiY
— Vicky Georgatou (@VGeorgatou) August 30, 2023
After his title win, Tsitsipas brought back Philippoussis as his coach, and Apostolos stepped back. After his father departed from the team, the ten-time tour winner could only win a match at Cincinnati Masters and Toronto.
There are still chances for redemption as Apostolos is back on the team. There will hopefully be no further changes as the instability has affected his career.