"I would like my father to continue being my father" - Stefanos Tsitsipas signals coaching split to work on family relations

Stefanos Tsitsipas kicked off his Cincinnati Open with a tight straight sets victory over Valentin Royer. The 7-6(4), 7-5 scoreline sees him advance into the second round with a tough test ahead against the second seed. He is starting to find a bit more joy on court without his father, Apostolos, by his side. Something that still conflicts him as he pleads for a healthy father-son relationship.

These last couple of years have been sucker blow after sucker blow for the 28-year-old who continues to try and find his feet in this sport once more. Falling as low as around the 80th in the world mark, a mini-rejuvenation has seen him break back into the top 50 for the time being, still way off where he expects to be.

He avoided a round one exit in Cincinnati Open for the first time since 2018 against his French opponent and make it consecutive Masters 1000 second round appearances for the first time since this time last year.

In statements reported by the Greek media outlet sdna.gr, he was happy to come through on top. "I'm working on a few things, and it's very important for me to stay focused on what I'm working on," he stated. "I keep reminding myself that results are important, but right now it's more important to make big strides in my improvement and change some things that have remained stagnant for the last two years.

"I've been focusing a lot on getting to the net faster and being a bit more dangerous when I play. Today I saw some hints of those things during the match. I was really proud of coming to the net so many times, especially towards the end of the first set and the beginning of the second. That's the kind of tennis that really makes me feel alive when I play, so I'm going to keep working on it."

For almost his whole career, Tsitsipas worked alongside his father who was his coach. He oversaw his early development as a youngster, rising up the ranks as he eventually became one of the best tennis players in the world.

It has not come without its hiccups. In 2023, Tsitsipas intended to try something different, keeping his father involved while taking on Mark Philippoussis as his main coach. That abruptly ended after a few months as he went back to the norm.

A year later, this partnership between father and son reached boiling point. Tsitsipas, who longed to have their relationship based on family over tennis, dumped him for a period of time. Novak Djokovic's former coach, Goran Ivanisevic, came in but that ended on a sour note.

As he continued to steadily fall down the rankings, Apostolos was again called upon to get the former World No.3 back to his prior heights. It seemed to have got much healthier as time went on, but Tsitsipas' motives have once again altered. Desperate to have a father-son relationship, he is now partnering Thomas Perrin who oversaw him win the Swiss Open, the first ATP title in over a year ahead of the trip to North America.

The Greek opened up about his relationship with his father. "I would say that I'm probably in a chapter where I'm making the decisions and my own choices. It's a chapter where I'm evolving into a different version of myself, of Stefanos Tsitsipas," he said. "Before, I felt that many things were under control, but at the same time determined by my father. So it didn't bother me, because that's how things worked. And I left many responsibilities in his hands to manage certain things.

"I feel like now is my time to decide who I want to work with, what I want to do, and what I want to achieve. I was repeating a specific pattern for a very long time, and I made a clear decision for myself: I'm tired of this. I'm really looking for something different in my life."

While a separation at profession level, that does not mean the pair have distanced themselves from one another. "I'm 28. I'm not 21 anymore. And I think now is the best time to do it, to be honest," he commented. "Maybe I should have done it sooner, but I've done it now. Now is the time. I have to move on and be okay with this decision. I have a good relationship with my father."

"Unfortunately, I can't have him as my coach, although I would like him to be. I have a good team of people who have been there for me, and I would like my father to continue being my father, something I hope he respects. It's a complicated relationship. The relationship between father and son has always been complicated and will continue to be complicated for tennis players in the future as well."

The two-time Grand Slam finalist will plough on without him in Ohio as he looks to pick up a huge win over Felix Auger-Aliassime. The second highest ranked player in the tournament will pose a daunting threat to Tsitsipas in what will be a highly anticipated contest.