Stefanos Tsitsipas reflects on the visible problem with his father

Stefanos Tsitsipas has not yet achieved the desired results and his final consecration has not yet come. The Greek tennis player seemed like one of the natural heirs of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal And Novak Djokovicbut he failed to make the leap forward and many believe his decline has already begun.

Stefanos has yet to win a Grand Slam title and, according to some insiders, has not yet recovered from his loss to Novak Djokovic in the 2021 French Open final. Tsitsipas reached the final at the 2023 Australian Open, where he was again defeated by Djokovic.

Tsitsipas isn’t playing great tennis this year, except for the triumph in Monte Carlo in the springStefanos has struggled to be competitive on grass and hard courts, where he is clearly inferior to Nole Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Sascha Zverev.

Recently the Greek champion officially divorced from his father Apostles to try to find new stimuli and improve his game. The US Open will be a very important tournament for Tsitsi, although the Greek has never achieved much in New York in his career. If he does not make it to at least the second week in Flushing Meadows, Stefanos runs a great risk of not being able to participate in the Nitto ATP Finals later this year.

Tsitsipas to face Kokkinakis in New York

Stefanos Tsitsipas will not have an easy debut at the 2024 US Open as his first opponent will be the dangerous Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis.

During a lengthy interview with SuperTennis TV, Tsitsipas spoke candidly about his decision to fire his father Apostolos as coach: “I’m not so sure about changes when I have to make changes in my team. Changes are very difficult to deal with. When I make them, they usually come from my inner instinct, and most of them are pretty accurate. The last few years have been tough; I was holding back my emotions and not being able to express them, but I think the time has come to make that change in my team. I also want to develop my relationship with my father, so that it will be better off the tennis courts.

The expectations and pressure of touring over the last few years have driven us apart. I think it’s normal because ultimately I am in business with my father. That can create more distance than unity in many parent-child relationships. So far it’s been good; I’m glad my dad is my dad. I have our Davis Cup captain to help me as a coach for the next few weeks. I know him very well and hope he brings out the best in my tennis and that we grow together.”

The Greek needs to improve his backhand and become mentally stronger if he doesn’t want to end his career without even winning a Grand Slam title. Tsitsipas had an incident with his father during the Montreal Masters 1000: “I actually forgot about that incident, it was a long time ago now. At that moment it was life-changing when it happened and it gave me a different perspective on life, on my career, on my daily goal. It was a very enlightening experience, which definitely made me stronger. I felt like it had a bigger impact on me than any loss or negative emotion I’ve felt in the past.”

A big change for the Greek ace

The Greek champions have entered into a new partnership with Dimitris Chatzinikolaou (the Davis Cup captain): “In this sport it is never easy to make changes, whether it is within the team or in any other area. It’s always a challenge when you tryand everyone always feels a little bit insecure about certain things. But right now it’s important to move forward and find the right solutions. I also think it’s important to focus on yourself, on what you can do as a player, and not too much on the environment.

The right people will adapt and make everything work for you and around you. Once you find those people, it’s a huge relief for your tennis because you can communicate really well. You can coordinate in ways that will improve your tennis and improve your mental state as well.”

During his career, the top player from Athens won the Masters 1000 three times (all in Monte Carlo) and the ATP Finals in 2019. His level seems to have dropped in recent years and the opponents have understood his weaknesses well. The Greek tennis player has started a beautiful love story with his colleague Paula Badosa, which has recently resumed after a short break.