Stefanos Tsitsipas Teams Up with Former Top 10 Player Mark Philippoussis at National Bank Open

“My father right now, I gave him some time off. He hasn’t had time off since I’m 12 years old,” said Stefanos in his pre-tournament press conference. “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.

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“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.”

Philippoussis, a former finalist at Wimbledon and the US Open, initially joined Tsitsipas’ coaching team in the latter half of the previous season. Although he announced their separation on Instagram in May, they have reunited, with Philippoussis supporting Tsitsipas both in Los Cabos last week and now in Canada, where Tsitsipas reached the final in 2018.

“It’s time to keep exploring new things,” Tsitsipas said. “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.”

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Fresh from his triumph in Los Cabos, where he lost only a single set throughout the tournament, Tsitsipas boasts a season record of 39 wins and 13 losses. He is determined to carry his momentum into the Toronto event.

“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,” Tsitsipas 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.”