Stefanos Tsitsipas sends emotional message confirming father Apostolos officially rejoining as his coach after controversial Goran Ivanisevic split

Stefanos Tsitsipas recently shared a heartfelt message about joining forces with his father, Apostolos, on the tennis court once again. With his National Bank Open second-round match looming, the Greek expressed gratitude towards his previously on-and-off coach for "sharing the road ahead with him".

Tsitsipas left the entire tennis world in shock a week ago when he announced that his partnership with Goran Ivanisevic was over after just two months together. The Croat, who had a successful coaching tenure with Novak Djokovic in 2019-23, had made some disparaging comments about his 27-year-old client's work ethic and physical conditioning to the local media, possibly sowing seeds of discord in their professional relationship.

Earlier on Wednesday (July 30), Stefanos Tsitsipas took to his Instagram handle to post two stories: one contained a selfie with his father, and the next one included a brief statement from the World No. 30 on his decision to re-hire the latter as his new coach.

In his statement, the 12-time ATP singles titlist insisted that "coming home is the boldest step forward", implying that he was willing to give Apostolos Tsitsipas one more chance to guide him back to the top rungs of men's singles tennis.

"Some journeys have a way of circling back to where they began. After some time apart, I've reunited with the person who first believed in me - my father. I'm grateful to share the court and the road ahead with him once again," Stefanos Tsitsipas wrote on his Instagram stories on Wednesday. "We've been through every chapter of this journey together, and this next one feels right. Sometimes, coming home is the boldest step forward."

Via Stefanos Tsitsipas Instagram stories

For those unaware, Tsitsipas' game was developed under the wise eyes of his father, who worked a tennis instructor at a top hotel in Greece back then. The former World No. 3 enjoyed watershed success under Apostolos initially but their on-court relationship seemingly soured two years ago.

---

Stefanos Tsitsipas' 2023 complaint surrounding his father Apostolos' coaching credentials: "Not very smart or very good at handling those situations"

Following an uncharacteristic second-round exit at the 2023 Cincinnati Masters, Stefanos Tsitsipas put his father Apostolos on blast during his post-match press conference. The Greek claimed that he "deserved a coach that heard his feedback as a player" - a statement that seriously undermined the 57-year-old's coaching credentials.

"I need and I deserve a coach that listens to me and hears my feedback as a player," Stefanos Tsitsipas told the media at Cincinnati Masters 2023. "My father hasn't been very smart or very good at handling those situations, it's not the first time he has done that. I'm really disappointed at him."

Having received a first-round Bye at the Toronto Masters as the 23rd seed, Tsitsipas will face Australia's Christopher O'Connell in the second round later on Wednesday.

Edited by Pritha Ghosh