Tsitsipas credits coaching change for renewed belief after Fils win

NEW YORK, Aug 31 : Stefanos Tsitsipas said ending a coaching relationship with his father Apostolos had brought much-needed calm to his tennis life and rebuilt his confidence after the Greek beat 10th seed Arthur Fils in the first round of the U.S. Open on Monday.

Tsitsipas reached two Grand Slam finals and a career-high ranking of world number three under the guidance of his father, whom he parted ways with in 2024 after a 23-year spell together before renewing the arrangement last year.

But after injury problems and a string of disappointing results, Tsitsipas split with his father again before Wimbledon this year and brought in Thomas Perrin to his team as he sought to revive his fortunes.

"I personally felt like I needed it. I needed a different voice. I needed someone who provides a little bit more calm into my tennis world," Tsitsipas told reporters after beating Fils 4-6 7-6(3) 6-1 6-4.

"There was a lot of chaos surrounding me before and a lot of noise. It took, for me, a long time to figure it out and realise that I just can't cope with it anymore. I also felt I grew up."

Tsitsipas said he had no regrets about making the change.

"I realised that having people who sometimes bring the worst out of you instead of the best ... these are some of the things that need fixing," he added.

"As much as I love the person that I work with, my father, and we have an amazing relationship outside of the tennis court, these sort of dynamics don't serve my purpose anymore as much, so I really needed that change."

Tsitsipas ended a 16-month wait for an ATP Tour title when he beat Belgium's Raphael Collignon to win the Swiss Open crown in July after falling outside the world's top 80. He has since climbed to 53rd in the rankings.

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