Stefanos Tsitsipas has seemingly found his new coach after ending his professional relationship with his father Apostolos, with the tennis star admitting he regrets his outburst following his loss at the Montreal Open.
The world number 11 has replaced his father with Dimitris Hatzinikolaou, whom the recently turned 26-year-old knows well from working with in the Davis Cup.
Hatzinikolaou, the Greek Davis Cup captain who was also in charge of the tennis Olympics squad, was called to fly to Cincinnati for the upcoming Masters 1000 event there and Tsitsipas will now seemingly keep him as coach for the foreseeable future.
The coaching change comes after a messy outburst from Stefanos, who said he was “really disappointed” in his father after his shock loss to Kei Nishikori in the Montreal Open.
The Greek tennis star released a statement afterwards apologising for his outburst and expressing regret for assigning blame to his dad, though revealed that they made the decision to end their professional relationship.
“It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that my collaboration with my father as a coach has come to an end. I prefer to keep my father in his role as a father, and only as a father,” Tsitsipas said in the statement.
“My father has been trying for the last few years to train me, raise me the right way and provide me with knowledge and wisdom, both on and off the court. I thank him for that. I thank him for the sacrifices, pain and suffering he has endured to make this endeavour a success. From now on, his role will remain within the confines of the father role, and that alone.”
Hatzinikolaou will continue his Davis Cup duties, travelling to Belgrade after Cincinnati for the Greece vs Serbia World Group I tie, with SDNA reporting that he is expected to continue coaching Tsitsipas even beyond the US Open.
