WATCH: Stefanos Tsitsipas ushers in 26th birthday with mother Julia and girlfriend Paula Badosa; blows cake candles and shares warm embraces with both
Stefanos Tsitsipas celebrated his 26th birthday on Monday, August 12, with his mother Julia and girlfriend Paula Badosa alongside him. Tsitsipas is currently preparing for his Cincinnati Open campaign, and as a result, his birthday celebrations took place in the city.
The Greek's birthday was ushered in by his mother Julia, who handed the former World No. 3 a delectable cake with candles lit. Stefanos Tsitsipas proceeded to blow out the candles to a round of applause from those around him and soon gave Julia a warm peck on her cheek before hugging her. The World No. 11 repeated the gestures with girlfriend Badosa.
Watch the heartwarming moment unfold below:
While the brief birthday celebrations put a smile on Tsitsipas' face, on the tennis front, the Greek is going through a period of uncertainty. The former World No. 3 had shown signs of a resurgence earlier on in the season with his title triumph at the Monte-Carlo Masters and his run to the final of the Barcelona Open.
However, since then, the now-26-year-old's form has dipped. His most recent outing saw him suffer an embarrassing 4-6, 4-6 defeat to the aging Kei Nishikori in the second round of the National Bank Open in Montreal.
Following his loss to Nishikori, Stefanos Tsitsipas gave an explosive interview during which he openly criticized his father and coach Apostolos, which led to a major shake-up in his coaching team.
Stefanos Tsitsipas heads into Cincinnati Open without father Apostolos as his coach
Tsitsipas had an ugly confrontation with Apostolos during his humiliating loss to Nishikori. During an interaction with reporters after the match, the Greek said that his father has not been the coach he has needed lately, and that he deserves someone who listens more.
"For me an ATP Master 1000 match is an important match. I need and I deserve a coach that listens to me and hears my feedback as a player. 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," Tsitsipas said.
Later on, the World No. 11 apologized for his on-court behavior via a post on X (formerly Twitter). However, through the same post, he also announced that Apostolos would not continue to serve as his coach anymore.
The two-time Grand Slam finalist is set to kickstart his Cincinnati Open campaign against Jan-Lennard Struff. The Greek and the German have faced each other on eight occasions so far on the ATP Tour, with their head-to-head tied at 4-4.