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Stefanos Tsitsipas parted ways with his father in 2024, which came as a huge shock to many in the tennis community. Tsitsipas had worked with his father since he was little, but made the decision to move on last year.
His father is an experienced tennis coach who basically taught his son everything he knew about tennis. But amid a disappointing season, Tsitsipas decided to make a change to his coaching team.
It wasn't an immediate change. It was gradual. His father first took a step back, and then in September of 2024, he was fully removed from the coaching staff.
It was hard on Tsitsipas, but he felt it needed to be done. He explained during a recent appearance on the Tennis Insider Club Podcast why he did it.
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"Seeing him stressed around me, seeing him suffer so much, hurts me as well because that's also one of the big reasons I decided to let go. His personality will never admit that he's suffering or that he's feeling bad. If he doesn't do it, then I have to do it. It's for his own good and for his own protection. It's not always about me." (35:02)
Stefanos Tsitsipas endured a difficult 2024 and was also eliminated from the Australian Open in the first round.
Continuous tennis struggles for Stefanos Tsitsipas
Stefanos Tsitsipas was a regular member of the Top 10 for a very long time. That changed in 2024 as he dropped down the rankings due to inconsistent performances. The ranking would fluctuate throughout the year but ultimately, he finished the year as world number 11.
He also missed out on playing at the ATP Finals, which was a unique experience for Tsitsipas as he had been a regular at the competition in years prior. It was the culmination of prolonged struggles with his level, and something needed to change.
Even this year hasn't really changed that trajectory as of yet. He played at the Australian Open but was beaten in the first round by Alex Michelsen.
It wasn't something that came out of nowhere either. For example, he made seven finals in 2022, three in 2023, and only two last year, which shows a slow but steady decline in his level.
As it declined, so did the frustrations increase. He let go of his father and turned a new page. So far, it hasn't yielded too much success, but it's still early. Time will tell whether the change was the right move, but according to Tsitsipas himself, it was rather necessary.
