Stefanos Tsitsipas put Greece on the tennis world’s map and rose to the top, who does he credit this success to? His journey from a junior player to World No. 12 was not an easy one. It wasn’t until he received guidance from one of the game’s best coaches, that he developed the physicality and power, which is foundation. After winning 11 career titles, the two-time Grand Slam runner-up reflects on his early days with deep gratitude toward the coach who shaped him into the tennis player he is.

The Greek player was born into a tennis family, with both of his parents being involved in the sport professionally. The 26-year-old began taking lessons at the age of 6, but it wasn’t until his time at the Mouratoglou Academy that he began to have a “real clue” about tennis star coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who spotted him on YouTube.

Mouratoglou, whose father is Greek, told ESPN.com, “I knew he was Greek, so I was particularly interested, so I checked on YouTube.” He spotted him at the Orange Bowl in December 2014 and was “impressed.” Stefanos joined the academy in 2015 and has been there ever since. Often, Patrick Mouratoglou personally trains Stefanos as he did in the 2019 ATP finals. The academy built a solid foundation for Stefanos, and he has achieved great feats in the sport since. He is the highest-ranked Greek player, holding the World No. 3 spot on the ATP rankings (2021), tied with Maria Sakkari. 

Recently, in a conversation with the Tennis Insider Club, Stefanos credits the academy for helping him transition to professional tennis from his junior tennis phase. He said, “The academy what they did is, they offered me support in terms of structuring my life, bringing my life into a nice, cozy, warm place and allowing me to thrive that way.” 

When the Greek player first joined the academy in 2015, his physique was that of a young boy. “I was still a child, if you would have seen me play back then, didn’t look anything like I do now,” he reflects on his time at the academy. Tsitsipas believes that his physicality at the time wasn’t suited for professional tennis; he was thin and lacked power in his game. 

However, after just a year or two of training at the academy, he noticed a remarkable transformation, where he “was developing to be as a tennis player.” The academy did more than just transform his physical form, they offered him a greater understanding of the sport on a professional level.

“I felt like, suddenly, my eyes were more wide-open to what is really like, cause I had no real clue or idea, of what it takes to become a professional tennis player,” he remarked. Stefanos thanks Patrick Mouratoglou for discovering his potential, and for having had a “good eye” for him at the time.

Other than Stefanos Tsitsipas, Patrick Mouratoglou has shaped many players into fine tennis professionals to date. The French coach has trained Serena Williams, one of the greatest players in tennis history. Mouratoglou coached Williams from 2012 to 2017, and during this time, she added 10 Grand Slam victories to her name and returned to the No. 1 spot in women’s tennis. Mouratoglou has mentored other notable players like Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Grigor Dimitrov, and Holger Rune.

Though Patrick Mouratoglou and his academy shaped Stefanos Tsitsipas into an elite tennis professional, it was his father and longtime coach who first introduced him to the sport. 

The foundation of a prodigy: Stefanos Tsitsipas and his father’s influence

Stefanos Tsitsipas’ tennis journey started at the age of three with his father, Apostolos. The tennis star remembers picking up the tennis racket: “My first memory is being three and hitting balls with my father in the gap between lessons.

At nine years old, Stefanos began formally training in Tennis. His father coached him through most of his childhood and adolescence as he kept adding more titles to his name over time. However, after Stefanos advanced into professional tennis, their relationship as coach-player and father-son began to change. Stefanos did not align well with his father’s coaching methods and said, “I need and I deserve a coach that listens to me and hears my feedback as a player.” 

He was not able to maintain the same rhythm as he did at the start of his career. After Stefanos’ loss at the Canada Open in 2023, he announced his father would no longer serve as his coach. However, just two months later, the duo resumed their professional relationship for two months, only for it to eventually end in August 2024. Stefanos realized their professional dynamic did not work for him and said, “My father hasn’t been very smart or very good at handling those situations.”

While their coaching relationship has ended, Stefanos wanted to preserve their bond and said, “I prefer to keep my father in his role as a father, and only as a father.” Since then, Stefanos has been coached by Dimitris Chatzinikolaou. Though it first began temporarily, the two have continued their coach-player partnership. 

Even after switching coaches several times, Stefanos has failed to achieve major success at Grand tournaments. He exited the Australian Open early in the first round against Alex Michelsen. The 26-year-old achieved fame at a young age as a tennis prodigy but has failed to showcase the same talent in the past few months. However, there remain three more majors in the season, and we may see one of the greatest Greek players rise again.