Stefanos Tsitsipas' ex-physiotherapist Jerome Bianchi recently made controversial remarks about his parents, and the Tsitsipas family has responded by taking legal action against him.
Tsitsipas' relationship with his father, Apostolos, is a topic that has received much attention since he became an established name on the ATP Tour, with Apostolos being his coach for most of that time.
Although the Greek No. 1 has achieved a lot during their partnership, many feel it could have been even more if the two-time Grand Slam runner-up chose to work with a more experienced coach.
Tsitsipas stopped working with his father for a brief period before hiring him once again. However, the 26-year-old finally decided to sever coaching ties with Apostolos for good before the start of the US Open.
After a defeat to Kei Nishikori at the Canadian Open, Tsitsipas harshly criticized his father, saying he did not listen to him in their partnership. Stefanos ended his long-time collaboration with Apostolos afterward.
Bianchi is a physiotherapist who worked with Tsitsipas from 2018-2022. He recently spoke about his experiences seeing Stefanos' relationship with his father, and he was not entirely complimentary of Apostolos or Tsitsipas' mother.
Although Bianchi acknowledged that Apostolos loves his son, he said their relationship was not stable, which contributed to some dark moments from him toward his son that were not helpful.
The physiotherapist said many players stopped training with Tsitsipas because they did not want to deal with his father, who constantly talked during the sessions and tried to control every detail.
Bianchi also feels Stefanos' mother was part of the issue. He claimed that the 2021 French Open runner-up often wanted to split from his father, but his mother made him feel guilty by mentioning everything he had done for him.
Many tennis fans were interested in Bianchi's remarks. However, some were not surprised, arguing it had been clear for months or even years that the Greek's father was an issue that was blocking his development.
Unfortunately for Bianchi, the Tsitsipas family has not simply accepted his opinion. They are furious by his comments and are launching legal action as a result.
In a statement given to Tennis24.gr, the family's lawyer, Thanasis Papathanasiou, revealed the legal action was to protect the family's dignity after what they feel are unwarranted attacks by Bianchi.
"We would like to inform you that the Tsitsipas family has instructed the law firm Papathanasiou-Confino (Paris) to take the necessary legal actions, so as to restore the prestige and dignity of the family, affected by the statements of the physical therapist in question. You will be informed soon about the development of the case."
It is sad that the situation has come to this. Getting insight from someone who was in the Tsitsipas camp was fascinating, but the price of doing that could be steep. However, it is unclear if any legal action is likely to be successful.
Tsitsipas withdrew from Greece's upcoming Davis Cup tie against Novak Djokovic's Serbia. Observing how he plays without his father as his coach for the rest of the season will be interesting.
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