A conflicting relationship between a player and his coach can be problematic, but it gets even worse when brewing tensions compromise a father-son dynamic. Stefanos Tsitsipas hit that unfortunate snag, and it’s been going on for years. He never shied away from highlighting his strained relationship with his father Apostolos and ultimately parted ways with him professionally in August this year. However, Tsitsipas has caused quite a stir with his latest social media post, to which his father has now responded.

Tsitsipas fell out of the top 10 last year, and even though multiple resurgent spells came his way, his performances have been underwhelming for the most part. He ended his father’s role as his primary coach after a dramatic episode at the Monte Carlo Masters after a shock second-round loss to Kei Nishikori. During the showdown, Tsitsipas even asked his father to leave and later, explained how his father “hasn’t been smart” as he bypassed his struggles with forehand.

The Greek sensation recently took one step further and posted a cryptic video, in which the narrator outlined that “The child of a narcissistic parent learns early that love is conditional. They quickly understand they’ll only be loved for what they do, not who they are. The child abandons their true self, morphing into whatever version their highly critical and opinionated parent deems worthy.”

It seemed like Tsitisipas might be hinting at his turbulent relationship with his parents, but it wasn’t long before his father stepped in to dismiss any correlation between the video and his son’s relationship with him. He voiced his stance during a recent appearance on MEGA’s show, ‘You haven’t seen anything yet’. “The post is not his own; someone else made it. This post, from what I saw, is on YouTube. He borrowed it from YouTube and posted it, he made a repost, that’s what it’s called. Stefanos is simply saying that parents very much love, and deeply love their children; they have a pathological love for their children, that’s what he means. Narcissism means a pathological love for my children.”

Talking about Tsitsipas’ performance on the court, last season wasn’t a memorable one for him and his poignant admission about not making it to the ATP Finals says plenty.

Stefanos Tsitsipas underlines ‘humbling experience’ after missing a spot at the ATP Finals

Greek superstar Stefanos Tsitsipas was far from coming atop the race to Turin this year. The 26-year-old’s dropped form slimed his chances to qualify for the season-concluding ATP Finals after five consecutive qualifications from 2019-2023, but, he has learned from that experience. As he jogged through his journey for the season, the former World No. 1 reflected on it in a post titled ‘Learnings’ on Instagram.

“Not making into the ATP Finals this year was a humbling experience, teaching me the value of resilience and perspective. I strive for it, but I’ve learned that perfection doesn’t exist within me, and that’s okay. Even if you wish for it, it doesn’t come just by the thought of it. The real difference lies in execution and consistent effort,” Tsitsipas wrote.

With the season concluded, fans can sit tight and wait as Tsitsipas strives to produce a turnaround in 2025. The Greek player will likely take to the court next at the Australian hardcourt swing, slated to commence in January.