Ever wondered what defines an athlete’s career? The answer: ups and downs! Sounds obvious, isn’t it? Well, just ask Stefanos Tsitsipas, whose career has taken a significant dip in recent months. And the most striking example of them all? His shocking R1 exit from the recently concluded Australian Open. But in sports, a strong comeback is always within reach for those with resilience, right? The World No. 13 might just be on that path during his off-season. He recently revealed his unfiltered feelings toward another sporting icon who is currently undergoing a significant career transition. And here’s a hint for you: it has nothing to do with racquets!
Still chasing his first Grand Slam, Tsitsipas’ 2025 season began at a career low. Once ranked as high as No. 3 in the world, the Greek ace entered the AO as the 11th seed. And his opening-round opponent? A 20-year-old American, Alex Michelsen. But who could have predicted the outcome? Despite hitting 13 aces and maintaining an impressive 71% first-serve return rate across the match, Tsitsipas fell in four sets in a shocking opening-day exit. And, the consequences were immediate as well; with this loss, he also surrendered his 11th spot in the ATP rankings to Grigor Dimitrov. However, Tsitsipas seems to have moved on. Recently, he offered a heartfelt tribute to a prominent athlete who announced his separation from his long-term team.
Almost six weeks earlier, the official Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team’s Instagram handle shared an emotional video of F1 icon Lewis Hamilton, catching up with the Mercedes factories for the last time, captioning the post, “For one final time. Behind the scenes with @lewishamilton in Brixworth and Brackley for his last visits to the factories .” Right under the post, Tsitsipas enlightened the tribute with a comment, “Lewis leaving Mercedes is like Batman leaving Gotham,” which he later added as a post in his Instagram story. But, for starters, why does Stefanos compare Hamilton’s last visit to Mercedes factories with Batman leaving Gotham City?
The British, Lewis Hamilton, joined Mercedes back in 2013 after leaving McLaren. And, after that, he claimed six more F1 championships, equaling the legendary Michael Schumacher’s record with a total of seven titles. However, despite signing a two-year contract extension deal in August 2023, the 39-year-old activated his release clause ahead of the new season. Now, in a shocking move, he is set to join one of Mercedes’ biggest rivals on the F1 circuit, Ferrari.
“It’s a place where I have grown up, so making the decision to leave was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make. But the time is right for me to take this step and I’m excited to be taking on a new challenge,” Hamilton said. The news struck Stefanos deeply, as he compared it to a comic hero, Batman, leaving his own Gotham City, the place he ‘vigilantly’ protected all the time.
As things shape, Hamilton will now team up with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, starting in 2025. Speaking of partnerships, Tsitsipas is also facing challenges, as he has parted ways with his father, his long-time coach.
“I prefer to keep my father in his role as a father,” Stefanos shares his emotions about his father
The Agassi’, The Ruuds, and recently the Sheltons! The prime examples of how a famous father-son association in tennis has shaped careers. However, not all relationships can function smoothly all the time. The Tsitsipas duo is certainly one example of that!
Remember last year’s Canadian Open? Stefanos, making his comeback from injury, went head-to-head against then-world No. 576 Kei Nishikori. However, the Greek couldn’t overcome the Japanese and crashed out in the round of 32. And this match marked the starting point of a father-son clash. The tension escalated when Stefanos hinted that his father, Apostolos, pressured him into rigorous training schedules and didn’t listen to his suggestions at all. Speaking to the ‘Tennis Insiders’ podcast, the Greek shared his honest remark about his father.
“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 is with a heavy heart that I inform you that my collaboration with my father as a coach has come to an end. I prefer to keep my father in his role as a father, and only as a father,” Tsitsipas remarked.
Currently coached by temporarily appointed Dimitris Chatzinikolaou, Tsitsipas will probably want to put his AO journey behind him. But will he finally achieve his OG goal of winning a Grand Slam this year? What do you think?
The post ‘Batman Leaving Gotham’- Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes Exit Sparks an Emotional Reaction From Stefanos Tsitsipas appeared first on EssentiallySports.