“Sometimes coming home is the boldest step forward”: Stefanos Tsitsipas reflects on his decision to rehire his father Apostolos

Stefanos Tsitsipas has been one of the players who has generated the most discussion in the last month, though not exactly for his tennis. This is because in July, he announced Goran Ivanisevic as his new coach—who was returning to work on the ATP Tour after a partnership of several years with Novak Djokovic.

The relationship, however, did not prosper, and after only one month, they decided to part ways. Amid adverse results during the last year, Tsitsipas opted to return to working with his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, just as he had for a large part of his career.

Ivanisevic was especially critical of Tsitsipas and his physical condition when they started working together, which did not sit well with the Greek, who decided to end his relationship with Ivanisevic amidst cross-criticism in the media.

"It is very difficult to have dictators and people who speak negatively and you don't feel like they are close to you like family," Tsitsipas commented regarding Ivanisevic once the association was over. "Being able to build a family out of this, people who will not only work with you in the tennis part but will also be your friends after your career, is something that I really want to build."

Tsitsipas did not have the best relationship with his father in the second half of 2024. The Greek had been having adverse results for months, and everything came to a head in the defeat in the second round of the 2024 Canadian Open against Kei Nishikori, in which Tsitsipas demanded that his father leave the stadium during the match, and a day later, he publicly announced that they would no longer work together.

Apostolos was away from the team for less than a year, and Tsitsipas's separation from Ivanisevic led the former world No. 3 to make the decision to re-hire his father to guide him from now on. "It's great having him back in the team," the Greek mentioned after his debut at the Cincinnati Open. "Well, it's one of those things that nothing else can beat. I feel like we've worked together for so many years. We've built so many amazing memories together."

The two-time Grand Slam finalist managed to get a victory in his debut in Cincinnati, beating Fabian Marozsan in his first match (7-6, 6-2). The Greek left behind a streak of three consecutive defeats after having achieved only four victories in his last 10 appearances. It was his first triumph since mid-June, when he won his debut in Halle against Luciano Darderi.

"Obviously a father-son relationship can also be complicated from time to time. I won't deny that we've had our good moments, we've had our bad moments, miscommunications, not being able to communicate with ease in certain aspects or ways," Tsitsipas added about his relationship with his father. "But you know, we're not perfect. We're trying to figure it out. I've been very open with him, which I've never, I've never allowed myself to be that open and that transparent with him ever."

"Some journeys have a way of circling back to where they began. After some time apart, I've reunited with the person who first believed in me - my father," said Stefanos Tsitsipas. "I'm grateful to share the court and the road ahead with him once again. We've been through every chapter of this journey together, and this next one feels right. Sometimes, coming home is the boldest step forward."

The former world No. 3 could not take advantage of his association with Ivanisevic. When the grass-swing began, the hiring of the former Wimbledon champion as coach seemed to be a suitable move to return to the top level, however, they were only together for two tournaments.

For the second consecutive time, the Croatian coach only managed to work for a few weeks with a new player, as he had gone through a similar situation in early 2025 when he was only with Elena Rybakina for a few weeks—before the Kazakhstani decided to return with Stefano Vukov, the controversial coach who was banned by the WTA after alleged mistreatment of players.

Ivanisevic, for his part, gave his opinion in Croatian media about Apostolos's return to his son's team and assured that he is the most suitable person to train Stefanos. "He decided to try again with his father, and honestly, I truly believe this: the only person who can coach him is his dad. He played the best tennis with him, he knows him best, it's a family project."