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Stefanos Tsitsipas has claimed that his parents have been trying to 'force him to come back into his life' nearly eight months after he removed his father, Apostolos, from his coaching team. The Greek has endured tough results on the ATP Tour lately but going by his recent admission, it appears he does not want to allow his parents to influence his career decisions.
The former World No. 3 split with Apostolos Tsitsipas, who is infamous for his constant on-court coaching, for good following his second-round loss to Kei Nishikori at the 2024 Cincinnati Open last August. The Greek began arguing with his father midway through a game during the above match, and even asked the latter to leave his players' box. The two subsequently parted ways a week later. And while Apostolos is still devoted to his son's career as a father, he may be vying for a re-entry into the 26-year-old's team.
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According to a comment that Stefanos Tsitsipas made to a Norwegian broadcaster TV2 at the Monte-Carlo Masters, he is unhappy with his parents attempting to control his career again. The two-time Major runner-up has currently employed Dimitris Chatzinikolaou and Kerei Abakar in his team. He has also been rumored to have approached Goran Ivanisevic to become his head coach in the last few days.
"In recent days my parents have tried to force me to come back into my life and I have to stop them. I have to stop them!" Stefanos Tsitsipas said (as per a story from L'Equipe).
Tsitsipas, meanwhile, retired from his quarterfinal match against Arthur Fils at the 2025 Barcelona Open on Friday, April 18.
Stefanos Tsitsipas was once critical of his father's coaching
Last year, Stefanos Tsitsipas made some scathing remarks about Apostolos Tsitsipas' ability as a tennis coach. The 26-year-old was unhappy with his father for disregarding his "feedback" as he expressed his disappointment to the media following his second-round exit at the Canadian Open.
"I need and I deserve a coach that listens to me and hears my feedback as a player," Stefanos Tsitsipas said during his post-match press conference at Canadian Open in August 2024. "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 at him."
"I really don't know right now if I'd consider any changes, but I'm really disappointed," the Greek added. "The most important thing for a player is to have direct and good feedback from a coach. The coach is not the one holding a racket. The player is the one trying to execute a game plan."
While the player-coach relationship may have soured, Apostolos has since told the media that the 26-year-old had apologized to him for their argument and that the latter has a good character.
