Stefanos Tsitsipas arrived at ATP Montreal 2024 intending to, well, capitalize on the unrest. In the absence of both his Olympic rival Djokovic and the reigning two Grand Slam champion Alcaraz, his trip to Canada appeared to be a solid chance to gain some ground and challenge for the title. The fantasy, however, was short-lived as he lost to Kei Nishikori in the second round, who hadn’t won in three years.
Who would have imagined, however, that there is an obvious trigger concealed beneath this excruciating and crushing loss? a justification offered by Stefanos that sparked a fight and a furious outburst directed at his father and coach, Apostolos. Stefanos claims that even though he replaced his strings this week, “I felt like my ball was lifeless.” My ball didn’t go anywhere when I hit it with my forehand because it wasn’t heavy enough to stick out. Consequently, a depressing loss happened.”
And what is the connection between all of this and Apostolos? We would not have guessed until the Greek admitted that this contentious string alteration is the source of his resentment against his father, whom he ejected from the stadium’s front row during the game. Tsitsipas emphasized that despite his son’s discomfort, he had been “complaining about this for four or five days” to his coach and father, who continued to implement this innovative training method. The next few remarks, spoken following the defeat by Nishikori, are significant.
A CHANGE IN DISAGREEMENT
“I’ve been whining to his father, Apostolos, my coach, about this for the past four or five days. I’m not used to this, which is why I got into an argument with him during the match. A Masters 1000 match holds great significance for me, and I deserve and need a coach who will listen to me and take into consideration my input as a player. This is not the first time that this has happened, and my father hasn’t handled these situations very well.I’m really let down by him.
I’m disappointed, but I’m not sure if I should think about making any adjustments at this time. For a player, getting accurate and succinct information from their coach is paramount. The player is the one attempting to carry out a game plan; the coach does not utilize the racket. It’s a joint effort that requires contributions from both of you. If I want to get better at tennis, it has to be mutual. In this way, I don’t want to stay still.”
Are there going to be coaching staff changes for the Greeks? Apostolos’ shadow hovered over each of the brief stints with different coaches (Enqvist, Philippoussis), which all ended in an instant dismissal. But it appears like the father and son have been having a lot of conflict this week, which has strained their working relationship and added another strange occurrence. The Greek, meanwhile, keeps slipping from the top of the standings, not sure if he will respond in time.
