Stefanos Tsitsipas played his first match without his father as his official coach, and he talked about that experience and his overall feelings after the match.
For most of the match against Jan-Lennard Struff at the 2024 Cincinnati Open, Tsitsipas looked the same as he looked against Kei Nishikori the week before. Demoting his father as coach couldn't create any major changes overnight, but his fans were curious to see whether he would look slightly calmer in the match.
He did, turning a lost match into a win, which was a much-needed win for the Greek player. Tsitsipas has been playing lackluster tennis for much of this year, recording multiple surprising losses.
His confidence was getting worse and worse, so finally winning this complicated match should be a boost for him. After the match, he spoke with the media about everything that transpired in the past few days because it was an emotional time for him.
Parting ways with his dad as a coach a few days ago was tough for him because he's close to his father, and having to let him go broke his heart.
"No changes are ever easy in this sport, whether that’s within the team or anything else. It’s always a tricky thing when you’re pursuing it and everyone always feels a bit unsure about certain things. But in these moments, it’s important to proceed and come up with the right solutions."
"I also find it important to maybe focus on yourself and what you’re capable of as a player, and not focus too much on the environment."
Tsitsipas avoided talking in specifics, which is likely by design, but it might also signal a lot of confusion on his part. He wasn't happy with how his father was handling the coaching duties recently, and he hinted at that again this time around, announcing that the 'right people' adjust and make it work.
This past match against Jan-Lennard Struff certainly required some adjustments, and when he made them, he stormed past the German comfortably. Maybe that's an indication that this change has been positive so far, but judgment will be passed after a longer period.
"The right people adjust and they make it work for you and they make it work around you. Once you find these people, it’s a big relief for your tennis because you’re able to communicate in great ways."
"You’re able to coordinate in ways that ensures your tennis becomes better, and that your mental state improves as well."
He hasn't hired a new coach yet but is working with the Greek National Team Coach, Dimitris Chatzinikolaou, who was with him at the Olympics as well. He has known this person for many years, so familiarity likely helped him.
This first match was a decent experience, and the upcoming matches will show whether he's on the way to becoming a better player or if that first win happened to be a circumstance. The Greek player is certainly aware that there is a lot to be improved.
"Things like this offer a massive change in your perspective and in the way you perceive tennis. I’m just actually hoping it’s going to be positive and allows me to thrive in some other years of my career. I would definitely say that there are plenty of things that can be improved within my game."
"Of course, I’m happy to work with the best this sport has to offer and to find ways to collaborate, for these people to try and help me out as much as they can and my tennis."
"At the end of the day, I just want to maximize as much as I can in my career. To work with the right people who know how to guide me and know how to add tennis wisdom into my game."