A match requires the audience to be silent before the start of the point, with no exception. Tennis players require the utmost focus and concentration, and the slightest noise has provoked players in the past. Many have an outburst when any amount of chatter from the stands comes to their ears, and Stefanos Tsitsipas just made the list. However, Tsitsipas’ outburst came at his coach and father!

Stefanos Tsitsipas and his father have a confusing relationship, to say the least. Apostolos Tsitsipas has trained his son, but he was briefly fired after a spat, only to be rehired months later. We have another dramatic moment of the two on our hands. As Stefanos faced Daniel Altmaier in the second round of the French Open, Apostolos’ chattering habit eventually annoyed Stefanos and caused him to yell “Shut up” in a surprisingly condescending tone.

France TV, streaming the tournament in the country, shared a video of the moment with the caption, “😳 Stefanos Tsitsipas visibly annoyed after a reflection from his father and coach.” This is not the first time someone has had to ask Apostolos to keep quiet during a match. As Tsitsipas faced Lorenzo Musetti in round 1 of the 2022 French Open, Julia Apostoli, Stefanos’ mother, had to ask Apostolos to keep quiet as well.

Back then, players could be penalized for coaching during matches, and Apostolos’ chatter could’ve led to a warning from the coach. Despite his family members asking him to stay silent at a point, Apostolos does not show many signs of change. Prior to the French Open, he had an argument with the chair umpire due to the same issue.

Stefanos Tsitsipas and father asked to stop chatter by chair umpire

After winning the Monte-Carlo Masters, Stefanos fought his way to another final in Barcelona. He could not enter the final clash without some drama. Apostolos sat in his box and made use of the fact that players can receive directives from their coaches. However, Stefanos and his father overstepped boundaries, as they kept discussing after almost every point.

Coaching rules allow coaches to share verbal instructions with the players, but they are not allowed to have conversations. The Tsitsipases missed the latter part of the rule, which resulted in too much chatter between them. Eventually, Nacho Farcadell, the chair umpire of the semifinal clash, had to come down and ask both of them to stop. 

They did not receive a warning, but the moment became another one in the list of Apostolos going overboard with discussions.