Stefanos Tsitsipas recently cut ties with his father, Apostolos, as a coach, which surprised many people considering how close they are, but according to his former physio, the two have problems.
While Tsitsipas's career was never without some drama, for the most part, everything looked calm on the outside. Still, there were plenty of contentious looks exchanged between him and his family members, including shouting and a few public fights.
So, while their relationship seemed peaceful, it wasn't harmonious either. The Greek player recently shocked by letting go of his father as a coach, even though Apostolos remains involved and travels with him to events.
That's how Tsitsipas worded it in his announcement to the public, but that wasn't the case in New York. Apostolos wasn't with him at the US Open and hasn't been with him for the past few weeks.
Not much changed as Tsitsipas struggled with his tennis, with another early US Open exit proving that. He then announced that he's picked up an injury and won't play in the Davis Cup, so there is a lot going on in his tennis career.
Recently, L'Equipe asked Jerome Bianchi, Tsitsipas's former physio, about the relationship between the family and the team. According to the physio, it's not the type of relationship that is more helpful than harmful.
Reportedly, it even impacted how the Greek player was viewed around the Tour, as some players stopped practicing with him.
"Their relationship has not been sustainable for years, their way of operating is harmful."
While some of that was observable from afar, the true extent and impact of the relationships on his career remained largely unknown. Many still called on him to change coaches because it was evident that things hadn't been working out properly.
One of the most talented players on the ATP Tour became a shell of himself who rarely, if ever, played his best tennis. According to the physio, there were instances when Stefanos wanted to part ways with his father but was prevented by his mother, who urged him against it due to the sacrifice his father had made.
"Every time Stefanos wanted to break up with his father, his mother ran and said, ‘You can’t do this to him, he dedicated his life to you’. And he found himself feeling guilty."
It was a very complicated situation for a very long time, but Tsitsipas seemingly reached his boiling point recently. The move didn't surprise Bianchi, who assumes that it comes after a long self-reflection of the player.
To him, Tsitsipas can be the best in the world; however, he hasn't realized his potential. Getting a chance to look back on his career likely made Tsitsipas realize that his career didn't unfold the way it should have and that he's trying to salvage that before it's too late.
"He realises that he is getting on in age and that his career has not been what it should have been."