Stefanos Tsitsipas reached his breaking point just before SW19. For most of his career, his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, had been a constant presence in the player’s box as a coach. However, now that long-standing partnership has suddenly come to an end, as the former world No. 3 will begin a new chapter, hoping a fresh start brings the turnaround he needs.

“The older I get, the more difficult it is for me to maintain a stable relationship with my father, compared to when I was a little kid, 18-19-20 years old,” Tsitsipas said in a recent interview with SDNA. “I believe that my father needs other things, just as I need different things. I felt it in the daily energy of our collaboration. I feel that we have reached a point where I am now looking for something completely different,” he added.

“This is all very sensitive. It’s difficult because we’ve spent many years together on tour, but talking about it now, I believe that we won’t be working together again in the future. Now I want to start making my own decisions and deciding for myself,” Tsitsipas explained.

For now, the 27-year-old is working with France-based tennis coach Thomas Perrin from Patrick Mouratoglou’s academy. 

The former coach of Serena Williams, Patrick Mouratoglou, will continue to help whenever he can. However, a reunion with his 58-year-old father appears to be completely off the table.

Tsitsipas already knows the 56-year-old French coach very well. He has trained at the academy since he was 15 years old.

The decision, however, may also have been influenced by his recent struggles. The Greek ace has been unable to rediscover the level that once made him one of the best players in the world.

He reached a career-high ranking of World No. 3 back in 2021. However, since then, his performances have been inconsistent and difficult at times. The current season has been especially challenging for him. The 2019 ATP Finals winner holds a 16-14 record and has dropped to No. 87 in the current ATP rankings.

Now, the winner of 12 ATP Tour-level titles will begin his SW19 campaign against 25-year-old French ace Hugo Gaston on Monday. 

And off the court, although he insists he will not return to his father, tennis fans have seen this kind of coaching split before and know that things can always change.

Stefanos Tsitsipas parted ways with his father following the 2024 Canadian Open clash

Even before this latest coaching split with his father, tennis fans had already seen a similar situation unfold back in 2024. It came after Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered a shocking defeat to former world No. 4 Kei Nishikori at the Canadian Open.

What made that loss even more memorable that time was the heated exchange between Tsitsipas and Apostolos during the match. 

Just hours after the emotional encounter, the former world No. 3 made a huge decision. He fired his father, who had coached him since childhood, bringing their professional partnership to an end. He was later coached by Goran Ivanisevic for some time.

This time, though, the relationship between father and son has again reached a breaking point. In recent ATP seasons, visible disagreements during matches have become more frequent between the two, and Tsitsipas’ mother, Julia Salnikova, has often been involved as well.

Now, speaking about the new setup with Perrin, Tsitsipas said, “Thomas has been in high performance for many years and has worked with other athletes. I’ll have Patrick’s oversight as well — he’ll be at certain tournaments whenever he can. That’s the solution through the end of the year.”

With his SW19 match coming up shortly, all eyes will be on how he performs under the new coaching structure. Whether this split finally helps him rediscover his best tennis remains the biggest question for fans as of now.