"It had a bigger impact on me than any loss" - Stefanos Tsitsipas reflects on a "life-changing" incident when his father saved his life

Stefanos Tsitsipas recently looked back at a life-changing incident. In 2015, Tsitsipas and a friend went swimming while participating in a third-tier tennis event in Crete, when they almost fatally misjudged the strength of the currents.

The two teenage boys were in a life-threatening situation until Tsitsipas’s father and coach, Apostolo, dived in to haul them back to safety.

The 26-year-old was asked about this distressing incident during the 2nd Serve Podcast, and said:

"I have actually forgotten about that incident, it's a long time ago now. At that time it was life changing when it happened and it gave me a different perspective of life,of my career,of my everyday purpose."

He went on to further explain how big an impact it had on him:

"It was a very eye opening experience, which made me stronger for sure. I felt like it had a bigger impact on me than any loss or any negative emotion that I felt in the past, " Tsitsipas continued.

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"My behavior was unacceptable... I lost control" Stefanos Tsitsipas apologizes for his behavior after splitting with his father Apostolos

Apostolos [L] and Stefanos [R] Tsitsipas | Getty

Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered a second-round exit at the 2024 Canadian Open after losing to Kei Nishikori with scores of 4-6, 4-6 in Montreal. During the game, The 26-year-old had a tense exchange with his father Apostolos Tsitsipas, and publicly announced his dissatisfaction with his coaching team. The former World No.3 told the media that he deserves a coach who pays more attention to his "feedback."

Tsitsipas then took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce an end to his collaboration with his father as a coach.

"It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that my collaboration with my father as a coach has come to an end. I prefer to keep my father in his role as a father, and only as a father," Tsitsipas wrote (translated from Greek).

He further went on to apologize for his behavior on the court and shared that his behavior was not in tune with his "values":

"My behavior on the pitch was unacceptable, and I feel disappointed that I got to a point where I showed a dark side of myself. When I feel disrespected, judged, or emotionally attacked, I tend to lose control of what comes out of my mouth, which goes against my values as a human being," he added

Tsitsipas and his father Apostolos went through a similar situation last year, as they parted ways before reuniting with each other in October.