Stefanos Tsitsipas re-hires Mark Philippoussis to 'maximise career' at Canadian Open - 'I have felt at times stagnant'
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Published 08/08/2023 at 20:28 GMT
Stefanos Tsitsipas has been around the top of the men's game for several years but he is still searching for his first Grand Slam title. In a bid to take him to the next level he has re-hired Mark Philippoussis as his coach while his father Apostolos takes a break from coaching. Tsitsipas has said he felt "stagnant" at times and is looking to "keep exploring new things" to improve.
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Stefanos Tsitsipas has revealed he chose to re-hire Mark Philippoussis to his coaching team in an attempt to “maximise” his career and not stay “stagnant”.
Tsitsipas, who last week in Los Cabos won his first title in over a year, has been coached throughout his professional career by father Apostolos.
Philippoussis first joined the team last year but left earlier this season as Tsitsipas said he wanted just one coaching voice.
However, Philippoussis is now taking the lead on coaching the world No. 4, while Apostolos is taking a break.
"My father right now, I gave him some time off. He hasn't had time off since I'm 12 years old,” said Tsitsipas ahead of this week’s Canadian Open.
“I think for him, it's very healthy to take some time away from the court and feel refreshed again.
“Parents can get emotional sometimes, and I completely understand that. I'm not a parent myself, but I can imagine how difficult it can be at times seeing your child give it their all and to be going through so much during a match.
“I love him and I want him to be part of that journey that we have built together, and he's not going anywhere. He's still with us, and he's still there following our path and journey.”
Tsitsipas has been at the top of the men’s game for several years.
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Apostolos Tsitsipas (L) is taking a break
Image credit: Getty Images
But the biggest wins on his CV remain the ATP Finals in 2017 and two Monte-Carlo Masters titles.
He has lost in two Grand Slam finals to Novak Djokovic (Australian Open 2023 and French Open 2021) and his highest career ranking is No. 3 in the world.
“It's time to keep exploring new things,” added Tsitsipas.
“And I'm open minded and I want to learn as much as I can to maximise on my career because I have felt at times stagnant.
“Mark is a parent himself. He's not my father, but he's been through a lot of moments in his own personal career that he can identify and capture better in certain ways. He is an incredible human being.
"He has helped me a lot. He has been there for me. Even when people didn't see him around, he has been there behind closed doors in private. And he's a big addition to our team.”
Tsitsipas is set to open at this week's Canadian Open in Toronto against Gael Monfils.
Tsitsipas has said that he would prefer reaching world No. 1 to winning a first Grand Slam title, and strong runs over the Canadian Open and next week’s Cincinnati Masters would help that goal.
“I'm happy that I've been collecting some good, beneficial points for me in the last few weeks, and I hope I can keep going,” he said.
“I have big standards in terms of finishing the year strong, and I want to deliver on that promise of mine. I want to finish the year and go on a nice vacation and say that I've tried my best these last few months to maximise as much as I can and have a big impact on the tour at the end of the year.”
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