Stefanos Tsitsipas appears to have indefinitely closed the door on his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, coaching him again.
The former world No 3 spent the majority of his career being coached by his dad but they split in 2024 as he slowly slid down the rankings.
Goran Ivanisevic came on board last year but the Croatian was in his corner for less than two months, before the Greek went back to his father.
Around that time, Ivanisevic questioned Tsitsipas’ professionalism, saying: “Every tennis player, when their ego gets worked up, they don’t like criticism.
“Tennis is an individual sport, you have to be physically and mentally ready. He wasn’t at Wimbledon (2025). Back problems, a million problems.”
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The 27-year-old ended the year at 36th in the world, his lowest since 2017 when he was just a teenager. But things have got even worse, with Tsitsipas now languishing in 87th.
Ahead of Wimbledon, Tsitsipas has been quoted as saying Apostolos is no longer part of his coaching team and he is working with Thomas Perrin from Patrick Mouratoglou’s academy.
Serena Williams’ former coach will help whenever he can but a return for his father seems to be out of the question.
He told SDNA, “I’m now working with Thomas Perrin, who has been with the Academy’s High Performance program for many years and has worked with other athletes as well. Patrick Mouratoglou will also be overseeing my training, and he’ll be at tournaments whenever he can.
“We don’t know when – his schedule is very full. So Thomas will be my coach for the time being and for the coming weeks. But the two of them will work together. It’s a solution until the end of the year. There is, however, a possibility that we’ll continue beyond the end of the season.
“That doesn’t mean we’ll stop working with Patrick and Thomas, but right now I’m committed until the end of the year, with the option to continue beyond that.
“The older I get, the more I feel that it’s much harder for me – compared to when I was a young adult, 18, 19, or 20 years old – to maintain a stable relationship with my father. I believe my father needs different things, just as I need different things.
“I could feel it in the day-to-day dynamics of our relationship. I feel we’ve reached a point where I’m now looking for something completely different.
“Lately, I’ve felt that having my father by my side brings me comfort, but it’s not the solution for me to take the next steps and do something different in my career. Of course, I love him very much and want the best for him, but right now I’m thinking about myself and what’s best for me.”
Tsitsipas knows Mouratoglou well, having trained at the academy since the age of 15. So while he is returning to a familiar face, his arrangement with his father is no more.
The ex-French Open finalist is keen to make his “own decisions” and wants a new “set of eyes” guiding him going forward. However, this split is not an easy decision.
The former World Tour Finals winner added, “I don’t think I’ll be back there anymore. This whole thing is very sensitive. It’s difficult because we’ve spent many years together on tour, but speaking about it now, I believe we won’t be working together again in the future.
“Now I want to start making my own decisions and deciding for myself. I believe my father has a lot to offer my other siblings and young, up-and-coming kids – that’s where he should focus.
“It’ll take him some time to accept it, just like it did before when we split up. Back then, though, I’d left a small door open. I believe he now has a lot to offer others, but as far as I’m concerned, I think he’s given me everything he possibly could have.
“I don’t think there’s anything more at this point. We’ve analyzed everything; we’ve said it all. I’m seeking knowledge and a different perspective on tennis, and I want another set of eyes that can guide me and help me with certain decisions in my career.”
Tsitsipas will start his Wimbledon campaign against Hugo Gaston on Monday.
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