A few years ago, Stefanos Tsitsipas faced the challenge of balancing personal space with family ties. His angry outbursts on the court raised many eyebrows in the tennis world. And it also questioned his relationship with his family. But now, it seems to be a thing of the past. During the latest interview, Tsitsipas admitted how his relationship with his family has undergone a major shift recently.

Stefanos Tsitsipas comes from a family of tennis players. While his father is a coach, her mother, Julia, is a former WTA player. Therefore, when Tsitsipas started playing, his father, Apostolos, took on the responsibility of coaching him. Although it went well initially, later it became a matter of concern for the Greek player. Indicating this rough patch between him and his family, he accepted, “True, there was a moment a couple of years ago when I got a little tired of them.”

As he admitted, there indeed came a time when, in 2022, Stefanos Tsitsipas brought Mark Philippoussis to his team, sidelining his father from the coaching team. This happened after repeated incidents of the player’s parents’ involvement in Tsitsipas’ matches. And it even led to some infamous code violations during his matches. 

One time, it was his father’s coaching advice from the sidelines during the Australian Open semifinals of 2022. And another time, it was Tsitsipas accidentally striking his father while smashing his racquet in frustration during the ATP Cup match in 2020. And adding to it, there was also a time when his parents’ constant chatter made him extremely frustrated and distracted from his match at the Nitto ATP Finals of 2022. But those are things of the past. 

Because Stefanos Tsitsipas recently acknowledged, “But now I again understand how much they love and support me, and I really appreciate it. They want to be with me, help me and win with me in every match and every day. We have a great relationship, I try to communicate with them every day.”

Also, he understands the reason behind the vehement reactions of his parents on-court. He himself admitted this in one interview.

“Parents can get emotional sometimes,” says Stefanos Tsitsipas

Currently, Stefanos Tsitsipas is playing under the guidance of his father again! And it indeed helped him. Apart from winning the Monte Carlo Masters, he also qualified for the finals of the Barcelona Open as well. And the 25-year-old is now enjoying his off-court relationship with his parents again. He recently spoke about how “close” he feels to his parents and how they are “having a good time together.”

And when it comes to understanding their emotions on-court, he once said, “Parents can get emotional sometimes, and I completely understand that.” He further added, “I’m not a parent myself, but I can imagine how difficult it can be at times seeing your child give it their all and to be going through so much during a match.”

As Stefanos Tsitsipas continues to mature both on and off the court, the support of his parents will remain as a cornerstone of his success. But as of now, all eyes will be on him as he steps in Rome to play the Italian Open.