Stefanos Tsitsipas’ father Apostolos confirms his son’s sincere apology after the coaching drama turned ugly a few months ago

The Canadian Open brought the feud between them Stefanos Tsitsipas and his father, Apostolos Tsitsipasto the light. The Greek star lost to Japanese veteran Kei Nishikori in R1. But between games, Tsitsipas shouted at his father and told him to do it “Leave immediately.” What followed his tragic loss was a major change in his team. Tsitsipas fired his father as coach and after over a month, Apostolos finally spoke out about the emotional consequences of that dreaded day, which ended with an apology!

Although things have calmed down somewhat over time, everyone was left wondering about the consequences of the dreaded confrontation between father and son during the game. Finally, on September 28, Apostolos shared his thoughts on the incident with Newsit. While explaining the reason for Tsitsipas’ emotional outburst, he said: “Athletes are under a lot of pressure. Often they go out of their way.”

Rightly so, it is difficult for a person in the stands to understand the emotions of the players colliding on the field with the will to win the game. And it certainly takes a lot of time for everyone to channel their emotions properly, or as Tsitsipas’ father put it: “Maturation.” He praised his son and further added: “At some point someone matures and understands that they have to make it. Stefanos Tsitsipas is a very good boy and has a good soul.”

In addition, Apostolos further differentiated between the assessment of behavior and the athlete in general. He said: “We don’t judge the athlete, but rather his behavior in the stadium.” But in the case of Tsitsipas, it was not just his behavior that was criticized, the Greek’s stature as an athlete also suffered a blow. Additionally, Apostolos spoke about their feuds over time.

“I received many apologies, not one. The problem is not the excuse, the problem is that he understands why that is the reason.” – he further remarked. It seems that everything is taken care of within the family. The son apologized to his father and they both moved on somewhere after that dreaded day in Canada. But even before Tsitsipas’ father spoke out, his mother had already expressed her views on the feud and its impact on their family.

“We are a close family” Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mother said after the debacle at the Canadian Open

It was not the first time that Tsitsipas thought about changing coach. In 2020, after his loss at the US Open, the Greek star pondered the same decision before deciding to stay with his father as coach. However, the year 2020 became a turning point in the father-son relationship. Although they continued for a few more years, the Canadian Open proved to be their last match as a coach-protégé pairing, as Tsitsipas fired his father from the position shortly afterwards. His mother, Julia Apostoli, spoke openly about their relationship.

She said: “Of course I think Apostolos and Stefanos haven’t had such a good relationship since then. They had conflicts. And that’s why Stefanos made the decision to change coach. We don’t see it as a tragedy.” For the Greeks, it is rightly more of a development than a tragedy. What’s even nicer, however, is the fact that the family has stuck together throughout.

“We are all together and a close family,“- said the mother of Stefanos Tsitsipas. Hopefully we’ll see the Greek star rise again with the support of his family and his new coach!