Stefanos Tsitsipas has made a surprising decision to rehire Mark Philippoussis as his coach, only a few months after parting ways. The two first joined forces in February 2020, and their partnership proved to be fruitful. Under Philippoussis’ guidance, Tsitsipas, currently ranked World No. 5, achieved remarkable milestones, including reaching the finals of this year’s Australian Open and the 2021 French Open. Moreover, he secured his first grasscourt title at the 2022 Mallorca Championships.
In May, Philippoussis announced on social media that he and Tsitsipas had split. The former Wimbledon runner-up expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work together and wished the Greek star the best for his future endeavors. During the French Open, Tsitsipas explained their decision to part ways, citing a “less is more” approach to his coaching setup. He revealed that his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, would be the primary coach moving forward.
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However, in an unexpected turn of events, Greek publication SDNA reported that Tsitsipas and Philippoussis have decided to reunite. The duo was spotted together in Los Cabos, hinting at their renewed partnership. The report indicates that a new arrangement has been made regarding Tsitsipas’ coaching setup. While Philippoussis will share coaching duties with Apostolos and accompany Tsitsipas to tournaments, they will appear together only during Grand Slam events.
In a separate matter, it was reported that Mark Philippoussis recently faced consequences for violating tennis betting sponsorships rules. He was fined $10,000 and handed a four-month suspended ban by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). The breach occurred when he received payment for providing a voiceover for promotional content related to a gaming operator. As an “accredited individual,” Philippoussis is barred from engaging in any commercial relationships with gaming operators as per the Tennis Anti-Corruption Programme. The four-month suspended ban will only be activated if there is a further breach during the specified period, which began on July 21.
