Stefanos Tsitsipas learned an important lesson in Toronto. Despite having his father as his main coach, this Greek ATP star had a disappointing run in the ATP 1000 event, leaving him no choice but to part ways with his father professionally. Tsitsipas’ girlfriend Paula Badosa, one of the Greek player’s biggest support systems in life, came under the radar as to whether she had any influence. Tsitsipas, known for his fierce on-court determination, reveals whether Badosa was involved in the decision or not.
Tsitsipas recently announced a split with his father, Apostolos, who worked as his coach. It happened right after Tsitsipas lost to Kei Nishikori in the National Bank Open’s opening round. After the decision, this Greek star started working with Dimitris Chatzinikolaou. Since Tsitsipas parted ways with his father professionally, many wondered if Tsitsipas’ girlfriend, Paula Badosa, had anything to do with his decision.
However, the Greek ATP star refuted the claims by saying, “this was entirely my decision, not influenced by anyone else, It was a difficult one to make, and I didn’t actually advise with her, which I guess would have been a normal thing to do when you’re in a relationship. I felt like it was something I had to maybe think throughout myself, and get it processed in my own mind and on my own terms.
Tsitsipas, waiting to face off against Jack Draper today at the Round of 32, sought emotional support from his beau, Badosa. “I’ve always spoken greatly of her because she’s been there in my toughest moments and she always was compassionate, She was always a shoulder to lean on when moments like this occur,“ Tsitsipas mentioned. Although he would likely have had her support, he decided to take this decision by himself.
Tsitsipas previously talked about this decision. He confronted his father during his Canadian Open match and asked him to leave his seat. Tsitsipas said, “For me an ATP Masters 1000 match is an important match. I need and I believe I deserve a coach that listens to me and hears my feedback as a player … My father hasn’t been very smart or very good at handling those situations … it’s not the first time he has done that. I’m really disappointed in him.“
While the Greek ATP star had an unfortunate fallout with his father, his new coach has been a great source of help for him. Tsitsipas also spoke about his new partnership with Chatzinikolaou and its benefits.
Stefanos Tsitsipas feels confident about his improvements with his new coach
Stefanos and Apostolos have gone through a split before as well. May 2023 saw Apostolos exiting his team, but he found his way back in October and has been the main guide since then. However, the Greek player once again expelled his father and is happy with the results of his new coach at the moment.
After defeating Jan-Lennard Struff by 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, Tsitsipas spoke about finding tunes with his new coach. He seemed quite delighted about his new partnership. “I felt like I was in a great flow state towards the end of the match with my serve. Immediately my groundstrokes improved, immediately my confidence to come forward and close in improved, so there were a lot of improvements that contributed to my game today,” he said.
Tsitsipas’ experience with his new coach has been great so far. Given that he feels his strokes have improved, people want him to perform well in Cincinnati and offer great potential for the upcoming US Open. Will Chatzinikolaou stick, or will Apostolos make another return?
