Stefanos Tsitsipas makes subtle dig at dad after | Sports News

Stefanos Tsitsipas appeared to throw shade at his father Apostolos with a veiled remark at Indian Wells about his earlier coaches.

The world No. 9, identified for his rocky teaching relationship along with his dad, parted methods with him final summer season following a very public bust-up. Since then, Tsitsipas has teamed up with Dimitris Chatzinikolaou, a collaboration that has already borne fruit – Tsitsipas clinched his first ATP 500 title in Dubai and made a comeback into the highest 10 rankings.

He lately opened up about why Chatzinikolaou is a higher match for him than former coaches. Throughout most of his tennis profession, Tsitsipas was coached by his father, and regardless of makes an attempt to introduce new views or cut ties, they might inevitably finish up working collectively again.

Their partnership was marked by controversy, together with heated exchanges and visual outbursts from Tsitsipas in the direction of his box. Notably, he smashed a racket close to his dad during the 2020 ATP Cup and hit a ball in the direction of his crew at the 2022 ATP Finals.

The breaking level occurred in Canada final 12 months when, after a defeat in his first match, Tsitsipas publicly berated his father for not being “very smart” in a harsh critique, expressing his “disappointment”. Although Tsitsipas apologized for his remarks the next day, he additionally selected to terminate their skilled relationship as coach and participant.

Tsitsipas shortly teamed up with Chatzinikolaou, they usually’re beginning to rack up spectacular achievements. Following his profitable advance to the spherical of 16 at Indian Wells, the Greek tennis star acquired candid about their partnership, hinting at points with a former coach.

“Well, it’s a very honest relationship. There are no filters with Dimitris,” the 12-time title winner mentioned of his work with Chatzinikolaou. I really feel like we discuss to one another overtly and freely, and we are able to talk excellently, and I believe that is what makes a good crew after I can simply talk with him within the best attainable methods. I can simply discuss to him and be exact about how I really feel and what I can improve, issues that we are able to think about for the long run.”

Drawing a comparison between Chatzinikolaou and previous coaches, Tsitsipas noted: “I really feel like he is very open-minded, like he listens.

“I have had a few coaches that, you know, I don’t feel like they are as open-minded and adjusting as fast. But what makes our relationship stand out is how we both feed each other feedback, meaning that I don’t pretend that I know everything, and Dimitris is humble enough to think that he’s not perfect either. I think that adds a lot to our relationship and makes us sort of work it out together.”

While Tsitsipas prevented explicitly naming Apostolos, he did acknowledge that their father-son dynamic was strained by their teaching setup. During her look on the ‘Tennis Insider Podcast’ with WTA star Caroline Garcia, the 26-year-old shared his emotions.

“I really want him to be my father because I feel like through our relationship in tennis, things have kind of gotten mixed up,” he mentioned. “And I’ve lost that value of the father that I want to have in my personal everyday life.”