Tsitsipas on dad's 'sustainable' coach role: We’ve both adjusted to our needs
Stefanos Tsitsipas finds himself in unfamiliar territory heading into this year’s Rolex Shanghai Masters.
Normally at this time of the year the former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings is very much in the hunt for a berth at the Nitto ATP Finals, an event he won on debut in 2019, and at which he qualified five straight years through 2023.
After a near miss last season, the Greek seems destined to again sit out the season finale. He’s also been battling a back complaint and heads into the eighth ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the year with a modest 22-18 record on the year, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss index.
However, the news is not all bad. The 27-year-old is hopeful that recent treatment on his back will allow him to play more freely, and he said that his sometimes-rocky coaching relationship with his father Apostolos is in a very health place.
“We have changed our dynamic very much and I’m actually very happy the way we all cooperate and work together now,” Tsitsipas told ATPTour.com. “It’s very refreshing as a player to have this relationship with a father.
“It’s exactly where I wanted it to be for a long time now. And I’m happy. He has adjusted to my needs and I have adjusted to his needs. And we have both created a type of dynamic that is one to be proud of.”
While open to adding another voice to his coaching team, Tsitsipas said that he has great respect for his father’s years of experience in the game.
“My dad has been on the tour for a lot of years, even dating back to my mother’s playing days. So he has a lot of tennis in his life,” he said. “I’m extremely proud to call him my coach and my father. But first of all, my father. Secondly, my coach.
“I definitely see [our current coaching partnership] as something sustainable. I would be interested in the future to add a person in my team that can collaborate and work with my dad. Obviously he’s not getting younger, so if I can find the right person, he can be by my dad’s side a little bit, with a clear, fresher mindset.
“That might also allow my dad to maybe take a step back a little bit to also enjoy life because it’s not only tennis. And I’ve been reminding him and telling him this for a very long time.”
[ATP APP]Tsitsipas’ resolve has been tested this year. After five Top 10 finishes between 2019-2023, and a No. 11 finish last year, the former World No. 3 has slipped to No. 25 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
His goals for the final weeks of the season – which include playing the last week of the regular season on home soil in Athens – are measured.
“My focus would be a combination of seeing what my back allows me to do now and reconnecting a little bit with the wins,” the two-time Grand Slam finalist said. “Top of my list right now, I would definitely like to see a few matches in a row without back pain.”
Tsitsipas dismissed reports that he had undergone back surgery, saying that a hospital visit was only for “a special type of examination”.
“I won’t go into details, but it’s something that did help me a lot. I readjusted and fixed my back. So I’m just waiting to see how that responds in matches and how I’m able to compete in a much more healthy state.”
Tsitsipas, who has played just two Davis Cup matches [in Athens] since the US Open, said that he feels fresh and recharged following vacation time in Greece, where he visited museums and historical sites such as the Athens Acropolis Museum, the Temple of Apollo and the National Gardens. He also practised three times with Novak Djokovic.
“Getting to know Novak in a deeper way was nice because on the Tour, you don’t have that opportunity,” Tsitsipas said. “And I spent a lot of time connecting with my spirit in Greece. I actually had a great time exploring my own country and doing things I found spiritually fulfilling.
“I did definitely need that break. I only realised that when I was there. I spent a lot of time with my little sister, my brother Petros, who I always see on the court playing doubles with him. That is something that I lack a little bit in my daily life, a little bit of humanity, especially when you’re constantly stressed and chasing points, tournaments, all that. It’s important sometimes to take a break and reconnect with your humanity.”
Tsitsipas, who defeated Djokovic in Shanghai in 2019 en route to his best semi-final finish at the event, opens his campaign Saturday against Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
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