"Stefanos Tsitsipas looks like a hostage" - Fans heartbroken by Greek's explanation about rehiring his father ahead of Canadian Open

Having won just one match in the three Grand Slams of this season, Stefanos Tsitsipas continued his tumultuous stint with a coaching split with Goran Ivanisevic last week. However, his fans noticed that he was upset over his current coaching developments as he rehired his father, Apostolos.

Tsitsipas started working with Ivanisevic in May 2025, after which came a disappointing grass stint for the 26-year-old. However, things took a messy turn when the Croatian made some harsh comments on the Greek, which led to their split on July 24.

Stefanos Tsitsipas then rehired his dad back on his coaching team, even after admitting their relationship to be 'toxic' when he hired Ivanisevic. A clip of him on X (formerly Twitter) surfaced where he joined for an interview ahead of the Canadian Open.

This gained attention from Tsitsipas' fans, where he was talking about how he is going through a difficult time in his professional life and his views on hiring his father back. Fans recognized the stress he was going through and sympathised with him.

Here are some of the fan reactions:

"This is just absolutely heartbreaking to watch… brainwash complete. He looks like a hostage reading a script. Just look at his eyes, how sunken they are. No life left in them… It’s truly sad to witness all of this in real time," wrote a fan. "He looks so sad," posted another. "I think he was trying to appear happy last week. I hope we're all wrong and that he’ll prove us wrong…but eyes never lie," a fan stated. "It’s like someone sucked life out of him. He looks miserable," another fan shared sorrow. "He does not look convinced at all," another opined.

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Stefanos Tsitsipas indicates Goran Ivanisevic to be a 'dictator'

Stefanos Tsitsipas - Image Source: Getty

Stefanos Tsitsipas elaborated on his split with Goran Ivanisevic and indicated that he couldn't adapt himself to becoming someone like a close family member. This is what made it difficult for them to continue working together, as he has always trained under people who are family and termed the Croatian to be a 'dictator.'

In an interview with SDNA, Tsitsipas said:

"When I work with the right people, with people that I choose and make me feel comfortable, there is a mood," said the Greek, "it is very difficult to have dictators and people who speak negatively and you don't feel like they are close to you like family."

The Greek is yet to move past the quarterfinals in any event this season, with the exception of his title win in Dubai.

Edited by Pritha Ghosh