"They're hurting him and they're hurting his chances" - Jim Courier recommends therapy for Stefanos Tsitsipas and his family after recent spat at ATP Finals
Andrey Rublev defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6 6-3 6-2 on Friday night to seal his spot in the semifinals of the 2022 ATP Finals in Turin.
During the match, the Greek player struggled to control his frustration at his family's incessant chatter and even hit a tennis ball in the direction of his team during a heated third set, causing them to flinch.
Speaking after the match, former World No. 1 Jim Courier expressed "empathy" for Tsitsipas' situation.
“My main takeaway from this is a little bit of a feeling of empathy for Stef Tsitsipas. Things that are out of his control are impacting him. His family, they’re so invested in his success. They want so much for him, they want to help him from the sidelines, but they’re just hurting him. And it’s hurting his chances to play good tennis,” said Jim Courier.
“You saw how he threw his serve away with two double faults [in the third set]. He got lost in the match when his parents started jawing at each other. I just feel for the kid. Because Stef seems like a good guy to me, and he’s said time and time again he doesn’t want the input from the bench. But they give it to him anyway,” he added.
Jim Courier feels bad for @steftsitsipas and suggests the family might need a therapy session to figure things out.
@Steve_Weissman | @andyroddick | #TCLive https://t.co/YzsbQY0su8
Four-time Grand Slam champion Courier also stated that Stefanos Tsitsipas' family needed a therapy session to sort out their issues.
“It seems like they need a therapy session to figure it all out. Because they all want the same. They want their kid to do well, of course they do, but it’s just not working. The way it’s going about right now, it’s hurting him more than it’s helping," he expressed.
"That was my goal from the beginning of the year" - Stefanos Tsitsipas on finishing year inside top 3 of ATP rankings
Stefanos Tsitsipas' hopes of ascending to the World No. 1 by the end of the season were dashed when Novak Djokovic defeated the Greek in straight sets in their first-round robin clash in Turin.
Despite that result, the 24-year-old is on course to finish the season as the World No. 3. In a press conference on Friday, Tsitsipas stated that finishing in the top three has been his goal since the 2022 season started.
"That was my goal from the beginning of the year, which I was still kind of not fully convinced that I can do it because of my elbow injury at the end of the previous year. But after having a few good results at the beginning of the year, I thought maybe I can actually do it this year and break into the top 3 again," Stefanos Tsitsipas revealed.
Tsitsipas' hold on the No. 3 spot in the ATP rankings is not watertight. Casper Ruud could replace him in the top 3 if he makes the finals of the ongoing ATP Finals.