The pressure is mounting for Stefanos Tsitsipas. Coming off a brutal stretch in 2025, the former World No. 3 now finds his struggles on the court matched by controversy off of it. As losses pile up, the spotlight returns to his past comments about women and feminism, drawing renewed fire and raising the stakes for what comes next.
Can Tsitsipas move past the backlash, or will the noise off the court be his biggest obstacle?
Why Is Rennae Stubbs Challenging Stefanos Tsitsipas on Coaching?
Tsitsipas closed out 2025 with a rocky run, hitting roadblocks across key tournaments. He fell in the second round of the US Open, outlasted by German qualifier Daniel Altmaier in a five-set match where Tsitsipas let his early lead slip away.
Adding to the frustration, the Greek star struggled at the Davis Cup in September: he beat Thiago Seyboth Wild but then lost to Joao Fonseca, dropping the match after having a 5-3 edge in the final set with a chance to serve it out. Most recently, Tsitsipas was knocked out by Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of the Six Kings Slam exhibition tournament in Riyadh, which marked his last match as of November 20.
With his form sputtering, former doubles World No. 1 Rennae Stubbs tossed out a playful, “hire me,” in response to one of Tsitsipas’ posts on X. Later, on her own podcast, Stubbs let listeners in on what she meant. She explained that the comment was initially a joke, but then raised a bigger issue: would Tsitsipas ever hire a female coach? “I don’t know, I’m not sure, knowing his thoughts on women, I don’t think he’s going to have a female coach. He’s posted some really dodgy stuff on Twitter,” she said.
This situation puts Tsitsipas in the spotlight not just for his tennis. While Stubbs is open to helping the Greek player, she questioned whether his views on women might keep him from taking that step. The latest spark? Tsitsipas posted throwback clips from the 2019 ATP Finals, celebrating his title run and sharing a message about the importance of working hard to return to that level. That’s what led Stubbs to jump in and suggest he let her coach him.
What Do Tsitsipas’ Social Media Posts Mean for His Coaching and Reputation?
Tsitsipas’ controversies off the court have kept fans talking through the 2024-25 campaign. Back in December 2022, he tweeted that “modern feminism has swerved from gender equality into a cult of outrage that seeks to disparage men.” The comment followed his retweet of a post sharing similar anti-feminist views.
Then, in June 2024, Tsitsipas shared videos highlighting traditional gender roles, showing men as “providers” and “heads” of families while presenting women in domestic roles. Both posts sparked heavy criticism across the tennis world.
This social media storm occurred during a year when Tsitsipas struggled to find coaching stability. He brought on former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanišević in May after a tough run of results. The experiment barely lasted two months; by July, they had parted ways. Ivanišević, previously the coach of Novak Djokovic, publicly criticized Tsitsipas’ preparation after another early Wimbledon departure.
After that, Tsitsipas went back to a familiar face: his father, Apostolos. By late 2025, the Greek player sounded upbeat, noting that things had changed very much with his dad and saying he was happy with the way they were working together now.
