Stefanos Tsitsipas Opens Up About His Decision to Split With Dad Apostolos As Coach

Stefanos Tsitsipas is no longer working with his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, as his coach. They parted ways in June this year, before Wimbledon, where he easily lost to 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the second round.

This is not the first time Tsitsipas and his dad ended their professional relationship. In 2024, after their on-court argument during the Canadian Open, Tsitsipas and Apostolos parted ways. During the grass swing the following season, the Greek ace worked with Djokovic’s former coach Goran Ivanisevic, who left his team after his Wimbledon exit and is now working with Arthur Fils. Tsitsipas, during his interview with Kate Mackz, has now opened up about his decision to remove Apostolos from his team.

It’s a very interesting dynamic with my parents. They weren’t involved in the early stages of my career. They became more involved later when I turned pro. My father was my coach. We parted ways. I felt like he was there in the toughest, most difficult moments, and he had to take risks, obviously, because he quit his job to try to support my career. I appreciate the father-son relationship. I felt like, throughout those years, it was very difficult to handle.

Tsitsipas won 11 tour-level titles under his dad, with the biggest victory of their partnership being the 2019 ATP Finals.

I want to do it my way. I feel like I’m an adult now. I really want to be more in control of things that I want to do in my life, and my father completely understands. It’s something that we’ve communicated, and I still love him to this day. Now I’m writing a new chapter in my life, so I’m excited about this new chapter. A coach is not only going to teach you how to hit better forehands or backhands. It’s also the psychology that they bring into the team, into the box, into the everyday routines and lifestyle.

Stefanos Tsitsipas added

Tsitsipas showed signs of good form at the Swiss Open, where he defeated Raphael Collignon to end his title drought. It was his first title since winning the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships. Last year, he clinched only one title.

Stefanos Tsitsipas loses to Valentin Vacherot at the China Open

Apart from that Swiss Open win, Stefanos Tsitsipas has only struggled this season. In the Grand Slam events, he lost in the second round of the first three events but made the fourth round at the US Open (lost to eventual runner-up Ben Shelton).

Because of his poor form, the former World No. 3 has dropped to 44th in the rankings. He couldn’t qualify directly for the main draw of the Japan Open and had to play the qualifiers.

After beating Yoshihito Nishioka and Rinky Hijikata, he knocked out Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round before losing to Valentin Vacherot in the round of 16. They met again in the second round of the Japan Open, and the Monegasque now holds a 2-0 head-to-head lead over Tsitsipas.

The two-time Grand Slam finalist will next play the Shanghai Masters, whose main draw starts on October 7. Tsitsipas has clinched three Masters 1000 titles so far, all at the Monte-Carlo Masters in 2021, 2022, and 2024.

This year, however, the 28-year-old has reached the fourth round of only one Masters 1000 event, the Madrid Open. In Shanghai, Tsitsipas is a one-time semifinalist, reaching the stage on his third appearance in 2019. He did not play the event last year due to a leg injury.

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