Sometimes, the hardest lessons aren’t taught during practice or in a match but are learned through the toughest experiences outside the game. Stefanos Tsitsipas has always been known for his fierce determination on the tennis court, but some of the most profound lessons he’s learned have come not from his coaches, but from life itself. For Tsitsipas, one such harrowing incident left a deep mark on him, almost pushing him to the brink, as he recalls during his run in the Cincinnati Open.

The Greek tennis sensation faced a near-death experience way back in 2015. Fortunately, he was saved by his father from perishing away, which also gave him a new life in a literal sense. As Tsitsipas looks back at his journey, especially at this incident, he cannot be thankful enough to life for teaching him valuable lessons. 

Tsitsipas engaged in an interview with Tennis Channel’s Second Serve program. He was forced to recall the journey when a journalist asked him how the incident changed his mental fortitude. Responding to the question, Tsitsipas said, “I have actually forgotten about that incident, a long time ago now. But at the time, it was life-changing when it happened and it gave me different perspective of life, of my career, of my everyday purpose, let’s say.” For the unversed, a teenage Tsitsipas went swimming along with a friend while competing in a third-tier event in Crete. 

The duo miscalculated the force of the stream and were near to the unfortunate happening. Revealing the incident, the ‘Greek God,’ once revealed that he was just a few breaths “away from dying.” But the incident had a bigger impact on the life of the star player. Continuing further in the latest interview, Tsitsipas said, “I felt like it had a bigger impact on me than any loss or any negative emotion that I felt in the past.” 

Tsitsipas’ second life can be rightly regarded as the courtesy of his father. Apostolos, who also served as the Greek player’s coach, saw the boys from afar and dove in to save them just as they were about to be swept away. Thanking his father for the gesture, Tsitsipas had said, “My father was a hero,” in an earlier interview, where he had resonated similar sentiments about the impact of the incident on his world views. Interestingly, the father-son dynamics have changed drastically over the years. 

Soon after his first-round defeat at the Canadian Open, the star player fired his coach aka father, and expressed his dissatisfaction over their partnership. “For me an ATP Master 1000 match is an important match. I need and I deserve a coach that listens to me and hears my feedback as a player. My father hasn’t been very smart or very good at handling those situations, it’s not the first time he has done that. I’m really disappointed at him,” he remarked during a press conference post his loss. The bond seems to strain further over the latest decision of the player. 

Has Tsitsipas already found a new coach?

The World No. 11 does not seem to waste any time ahead of his campaign at the US Open. Just days after splitting up with his father and long-time coach, Tsitsipas has reportedly found a new coach already and is practicing under his watchful eyes. Since the Greek player fired his coach, he has been working with Greek Davis Cup captain Dimitris Hadjinikolaou. And as per reports, their partnership will continue beyond the current Cincinnati Open. 

Remember, Tsitsipas’ association with Hadjinikolaou is not new. Hadjinikolaou Greece’s Davis Cup team and was in charge of the Olympic tennis squad in Paris. After he left the Summer games to head home to Greece, he was called in by the Tsitsipas’ camp. According to SDNA, he will also accompany the 26-year-old at the upcoming US Open.

It would be interesting to see if the life lessons that Tsitsipas has learned over the years, amalgamated with the expertise of Hadjinikolaou will help him win bigger in his current season. Will he grow even further for the upcoming slam?