Stephen Chichipas: “I am grateful to my father for his sacrifices, he had to take a step back in my career”

He prepares to “fall” in the “fight” about it and spoke at the press conference about his preparation, the Greek public in Melbourne, and also the relationship with his father. Having interrupted their professional relationship last year, Stefanos Tsitsipas made it clear that he still has excellent relations with his father Apostolos, but at the same time it was time to stop being his coach and that is why he is not with him this year at the Australian Open. CORVERSE Chichipa’s statements “I’m really glad to be back in Melbourne. I can’t wait to start for 2025 here in Australia, which I’ve said is my home slam. It’s an excellent opportunity to play on these courts, to receive the support of the public I’ve had in recent years. I just hope that my tennis fits well with the world and that I can really perform at my highest level, bring this tennis I have shown in recent years.” For its preparation: “I worked very hard in Dubai to prepare for Australia. Overall, I am very pleased with the way I devoted myself to work and my mindset during preseason seemed quite good. I was in a good place. I’ve been patient with work. Apparently, there was also suffering due to physical work, as I had to overcome some difficult times during preparation, such as fatigue.” About his relationship with his father, Apostle Chichipa: “I honestly couldn’t ask anything more than my father. He was an excellent coach, in my opinion. He’s done more than what he could do as a coach. I’m really grateful to him. I think he’s a great man. For the sacrifices he’s made over a decade, I wouldn’t say in recent years, it’s over a decade, it’s his whole life, he’s been through a lot of stress. Coming from a very small country, Greece, without background, without tradition of tennis, I am really proud of him as to how he endured and how he responded to those situations that were crucial to my development in tennis. CORVERSE I really want to go back to those moments because they were the ones who really shaped me as a player. These were the years I had to show my true potential and he supported it. I believe that to date he is one of the best coaches in the world. We still have an excellent relationship. He just had to take a step back and allow me to discover my own path as an adult. Yeah, that’s about it. He’s still my father. He’s still someone who comes to the field occasionally to give me some advice. He was with me recently in the Middle East. He attended some training. I still consider him an important person in my professional life, but also in my private life. We have an incredible relationship, I owe him a lot. I really hope he can achieve the same things he did with me as the other members of my family who want to follow tennis professionally, but also with some other children he recently collaborates with. He was successful with these children, which also shows how good and capable he is as a tennis professional.” For the changes with the coaches in the tour: “Have I seen a change in game due to advice? No, I haven’t. It’s another very recent tennis thing. We still haven’t had a chance to see many intense battles in games where players approach their coach and the microphone takes what they have to say and we actually see it applied to the regular part of the game during the game. It’s too early to see such things because it’s a very recent addition to tennis. I guess in the past struggles have changed, the results have changed because of it. But then it was done secretly. Personally, I had my own problems with it, taking penalties for not doing it discreetly. I’m sure I’ll tell you there were many players in the tour who did it with their coaches. I’ve seen on video a coaching done and no penalty imposed. Just in my case maybe my coach wasn’t as discreet as others. That’s why I ended up being punished much more often than they did. I’d like to see a game change as a result of what the coach said. It’ll be nice for tennis. I believe the sports lovers will come closer. It will offer something innovative in tennis. Otherwise, I’d like to see it, to get a direct answer to your question, I’d like to see these things applied to tennis and watch matches change due to the result, the result of what the coach has to say. Definitely something that’ll be fresh for tennis. I feel that the crowd and the world who are really obsessed with tennis, the sports lovers, will come together. I think it will offer something new and innovative in tennis.” For the secret of his success at the Australian Open: “It is definitely the Greek fans, the Greek community of Melbourne. It makes a big difference when it comes to feeling on the field. When I travel around the world and play in different places, I seem to be more connected with the European kind of atmosphere. I didn’t have much success in the United States. Traveling so far abroad and feeling that I’m home, it allows me to feel good in my comfort zone. I think that’s why tennis pays off and I feel better about my game. I’m obviously trying and doing my best on the field. This little addition to my game, as I know that I am rewarded and really supported in difficult times by my fans, is somewhat more enthusiastic.”