SUMMARY
- Stefanos Tsitsipas has not been in his best shape so far in the 2024 season.
- Fans were not happy with Apostolos Tsitsipas's presence on the court with Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Stefanos Tsitsipas has not had a good start to the 2024 season. He has played in two events so far and has dropped a bit in the rankings. Tsitsipas lost one match and won the United Cup. At the Australian Open, he reached the fourth round while losing to Taylor Fritz in four sets. The fans made hurtful suggestions for Tsitsipas to have a promising career ahead of him.
The Greek player secured 51 wins last year. He had a good season on the court, but the off-court troubles with his father were out in the open. It affected his performance in the second half of the season. “Start with removing your Daddy from your player’s box. His voice during your matches is the biggest barrier you face,” commented a fan under a post which spoke about the goal of Tsitsipas.
Start with removing your Daddy from your player’s box. His voice during your matches is the biggest barrier you face. https://t.co/9d36m7io2v
— O. (@Onyxxxxi) February 3, 2024
The post was about Tsitsipas aiming to win an Olympic gold medal and a grand slam in the 2024 season. Another fan suggested he change his coach, which was his father. “Better get rid of your dad then and get another coach.” Tsitsipas removed and reappointed his father twice last season.
Better get rid of your dad then and get another coach
— betty kettley (@bettykettley63) February 4, 2024
I feel so sorry for him…. He had a small window to win a grand slam the past year, and I think it might be gone. He has the talent, it’s that his coaches aren’t advancing him…. He’s one of those people with survivors guilt. So he’ll never let his family step aside https://t.co/x0XRHCnAXz
— Black Princess Diana (@layla_job) February 3, 2024
The world No.10 has not advanced to the quarterfinals in the last three grand slams. Tsitsipas reached the quarterfinals of the French Open and was the runner-up at the Australian Open last year. Meanwhile, he made his debut at the Olympics in 2021 in Tokyo and reached the third round. Tsitsipas will have to draw up a plan with his dad to improve his game this season.
Stefanos Tsitsipas opens up about having his father as a coach
Tsitsipas has been working with his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas since he began playing tennis. Apostolos is his son’s main coach, although there have been differences over the years. The 2023 season saw Tsitsipas then appoint Mark Philippoussis as his main coach for a short period. He had changed his coach a few times before, but it was the first time that Apostolos was removed from the coaching team.
The 25-year-old had Philippoussis as the main coach for a few weeks as Apostolos came back at the end of last season and has been ever since. Talking about his father, Tsitsipas said, “My father and I have always had tennis as an element in common, it was something of ours, that we have always shared.” He further said his identity is not complete without his father beside him.
Tsitsipas said, “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.”
The 2024 season looks promising for Tsitsipas, with his father back on the coaching team. With ten more months to go, he can hit the milestones with the right mindset. Apostolos will have to lead the way for his son and make sure there are no off-court tussles. An Olympic gold and a grand slam do not look far for Tsitsipas, and when in form, he can certainly pull it off.