Apostolos Tsitsipas

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Apostolos Tsitsipas
Apostolos Tsitsipas (Roland Garros 2023) 01 (cropped).jpg
Tsitsipas in 2023
Country (sports)Flag of Greece.svg Greece
Born (1967-11-24) 24 November 1967 (age 56)
Proastio, Karditsa, Greece
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Coaching career
Stefanos Tsitsipas (about 2001–)
Coaching achievements
Coachee singles titles total9
List of notable tournaments
(with champion)

2019 ATP Finals (Stefanos Tsitsipas)

Apostolos Tsitsipas (born 24 November 1967) [1] is a Greek tennis coach. He is the father and longtime coach of Stefanos Tsitsipas, who achieved a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ranking of No. 3 on 9 August 2021. He is the husband of tennis player Julia Apostoli.

Contents

Career

Tsitsipas grew up in the village of Proastio in Thessaly. [2] In his youth, he primarily played football and basketball, but he and his brother sometimes "goofed around" playing tennis with wooden rackets on a makeshift grass court. Though briefly a member of the Greece national team, he decided to pursue tennis seriously at age 20 while studying sport science at the University of Athens. He played in his first tournament at age 23, but never at a high enough level to earn an ATP ranking point. [3]

Tsitsipas married the tennis player Julia Salnikova in 1991 after meeting her while working as a line judge at a Women's Tennis Association (WTA) tournament in Athens. [4] [5] He traveled with her on tour, then studied tennis coaching in Vienna and Berlin for several years, before moving back to Athens to work as a tennis instructor. [3] He and Julia trained Stefanos, their first child, from the age of three. [3] As Stefanos began to find success as a junior, Tsitsipas left a high school teaching position to travel with his son full-time from age 11 or 12. [3] [6] [7] He played occasionally on the ITF Seniors Tour from 2003 to 2010, achieving a peak ranking of No. 310 in 2006. [8] He served as the captain of the Greek contingent at the ATP Cup (2020–2022). [9]

As of 2023, Tsitsipas remains Stefanos's primary coach. He has often made his presence felt during matches. [10] [11] Before the ATP trialled coaching during matches in mid-2022, he often incurred Stefanos code violations by offering advice—reportedly against his son's wishes—aloud from the player's box. [11] [12] [13] [14] In the 2022 Australian Open semifinals, Tsitsipas's coaching spurred Daniil Medvedev to exclaim to the umpire, "His father can talk every point?", and prompted officials to place Greek umpire Eva Asderaki-Moore near the player's box to overhear his chatter, leading to a fine. [11] [15] [16] Tennis commentator Jim Courier suggested after a Stefanos Tsitsipas loss in November 2022 that his father's coaching style during matches "[is] hurting him more than it's helping". [11]

Personal life

All four children of Tsitsipas and Salnikova have played competitive tennis: Stefanos (born 1998), Petros (born 2000), Pavlos (born 2005), and Elisavet (born 2008). [17]

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Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Andrey Rublev in the final, 6–3, 6–3 to win the singles tennis title at the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters. It was his first ATP Tour Masters 1000 title, making him the first Greek to win a Masters tournament. Rublev was also in contention for his maiden Masters 1000 title.

Rafael Nadal defeated Casper Ruud in the final, 6–3, 6–3, 6–0 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 2022 French Open. It was his record-extending 14th French Open title and record-extending 22nd major title overall. It marked the first time in his career that he won the Australian Open and the French Open in the same calendar year. Nadal also became the third man to defeat four top 10 players en route to a major title since the introduction of ATP rankings in 1973. Ruud became the first Norwegian man to reach a major quarterfinal and beyond, and the first Scandinavian man to do so since Robin Söderling in 2010.

Rafael Nadal defeated Cameron Norrie in the final, 6–4, 6–4 to win the singles title at the 2022 Mexican Open. Nadal did not drop a set during a tournament for a record-extending 30th time. It was his fourth Acapulco title and 91st career singles title overall.

Borna Ćorić defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final, 7–6(7–0), 6–2 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 2022 Cincinnati Masters. It was his first Masters 1000 title, and his first title overall since the 2018 Halle Open. Ranked No. 152 in the world and using a protected ranking for entry, Ćorić became the lowest ranked player to win a Masters event since the series' inception in 1990. He defeated five seeded players en route to the title.

Novak Djokovic defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final, 6–3, 7–6(7–4), 7–6(7–5) to win the men's singles tennis title at the 2023 Australian Open. It was his record-extending tenth Australian Open title and 22nd major title overall, tying Rafael Nadal for the all-time record of most Grand Slam men's singles titles won. He also became the second man to win double-digit titles at a single major, after Nadal at the French Open. Djokovic lost just one set en route to the title, and extended his match winning-streak at the Australian Open to an Open Era record 28 matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medvedev–Tsitsipas rivalry</span> ATP tennis rivalry

Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) players Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas have faced each other 13 times since 2018, with Medvedev leading the rivalry, 9–4. They are considered to be two of the best tennis players of their generation. According to the BBC, "The pair have long had a spiky relationship and, while there is respect and cordiality, an element of drama always appears when they meet".

References

  1. ↑ "Apostolos Tsitsipas". Association of Tennis Professionals . Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  2. ↑ "Tennis star Stefanos Tsitsipas ode to his wonderful dad, Apostolos". Neos Kosmos . 21 May 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Braden, Jonathon (3 April 2020). "Apostolos Tsitsipas: The Accidental Tennis Coach". Association of Tennis Professionals . Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  4. ↑ Baudu, Jérémy (29 January 2023). "Roland-Garros, Greece, coach: Everything you always wanted to know about Stefanos Tsitsipas (but never had time to find out) – updated after Australian Open final run". Tennis Majors. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  5. ↑ Μπάκουλη, Νίκη. "Ο Στέφανος Τσιτσιπάς θα σε κάνει να παίξεις τένις". Sport24 (in Greek). Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "The Moment Apostolos Tsitsipas Knew Stefanos Was A Special Player". Association of Tennis Professionals. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  7. ↑ Rothenberg, Ben (28 May 2018). "Stefanos Tsitsipas Balances His Greek and Russian Sides to Rise in Tennis". New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018.
  8. ↑ "Apostolos Tsitsipas Tennis Player". International Tennis Federation . Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  9. ↑ "Tsitsipas: 'We Are Just Hungrier Than Anyone Else'". Association of Tennis Professionals. 30 December 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  10. ↑ Futterman, Matthew (26 January 2023). "In Tennis, the 'Nepo Babies' Are Everywhere". The New York Times . Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Livaudais, Stephanie (19 November 2022). "Tsitsipas family drama spills over during Stefanos defeat to Rublev in Turin". Tennis.com . Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  12. ↑ Sanford, Jordan (19 July 2021). "'I'll get you coaching': Tsitsipas reacts to Kyrgios' disagreement on coaching regulations". Tennis.com . Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  13. ↑ Ganguly, Sudipto (28 January 2022). "Stefanos Tsitsipas feels unfairly targeted over on-court coaching criticism". Yahoo! Sports . Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  14. ↑ Tennery, Amy (26 August 2022). "Tsitsipas says off-court coaching will end unfair violations". Reuters . Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  15. ↑ Laughton, Max (29 January 2022). "Medvedev back in Aus Open final even after meltdown as Greek God 'capitulates'". Fox Sports Australia . Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  16. ↑ Walsh, Courtney (29 January 2022). "Medvedev, Tsitsipas both fined after high-octane semi-final". Reuters. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  17. ↑ Rush, Curtis (13 August 2018). "With the 'Week of His Life,' Stefanos Tsitsipas Bursts Into Tennis' Elite". The New York Times . Retrieved 15 April 2023.
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