'Feels right': Tsitsipas reemploys father as coach after patching up differences

Stefanos Tsitsipas celebrates winning the 2024 Monte-Carlo title with his team, including father, Apostolos (right) (Getty/Jean Catuffe)

One year on since deciding to call it quits, Stefanos Tsitsipas has officially reappointed his father as coach to reinvigorate a fading career.

The two-time Slam finalist recently parted ways with Goran Ivanišević, Novak Djokovic's former coach, after a poor Wimbledon campaign hampered by a back injury.

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Tsitsipas' father, Apostolos, will replace the 2001 Wimbledon champion in a full circle moment.

"Some journeys have a way of circling back to where they began," Tsitsipas said on social media.

"After some time apart, I've reunited with the person who first believed in me – my father.

"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 pair split in August last year after Tsitsipas' straight-sets loss to Kei Nishikori at Montreal's National Bank Open.

Tensions reached boiling point during that match when Tsitsipas asked his father to leave mid-match.

"There are a lot of things I regret from it… even my behaviour and reaction to it wasn't very mature," Tsitsipas told Ziggo Sport.

"He definitely made me lose my inner control as well. But we've talked a lot since then. He's been on tour occasionally as my father, not my coach."

Approaching the collaboration with a new mindset, the Greek talent is setting the tone early.

"I think I have to be strict with him. Sometimes I feel like he wants to do too many things on his own," he shared.

"I'm trying to recalibrate that and make him understand that certain things need to happen the way I want them to happen. This relationship deserves way more than the way we've been treating it in the past."

The 26-year-old currently languishes at world No.30 and earlier this year dropped out of the top 20 for the first time in seven years.

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