By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday August 8, 2023

Stefanos Tsitsipas, fresh off his 10th career title at Los Cabos, is feeling confident with coach Mark Philippoussis back on his team. The Greek talked about reuniting with the Aussie, and opened up about the team dynamic as it stands now, on media day at the National Bank Open in Toronto.



“He is an incredible human being,” Tsitsipas said of Philippoussis, who rejoined the team last week. “He has helped me a lot. He has been there for me. Even when people didn't see him around, he has been there behind closed doors, in private. And he's a big addition to our team.”

Tsitsipas says his father is taking a well-deserved break, but insists that his dad and coach is still an integral part of his team – and always will be.

“My father right now, I give him some time off,” he said. “He hasn't had time off since I'm 12 years old. So I think for him, I think it's very healthy to take some time away from the court and feel refreshed again.



“And, of course, I love him and I want him to be part of that journey that we have built together, and he's not going anywhere. He's still with us, and he's still there following our path and journey.”

Tsitsipas says he is attempting to avoid letting his game become stale, and hinted that in the past he has felt “stagnant”.

“For me, it's a time, you know, to keep exploring new things,” he said. “And I'm open-minded and I want to learn as much as I can and, as I mentioned earlier, to maximize on my career because I have felt at times stagnant.

Seeded fourth at Toronto, the Greek will take on Gael Monfils in second-round action.