Spoiler:
The fitness coach to Tsitsipas has complained of a horrible overall experience during the Olympics tennis for himself and the Greek team.
Christos Fiotakis has spoken angrily about the circumstances endured by himself and others surrounding the tennis events and their organisation.
To begin with, the accommodation situation was thoroughly underwhelming according to Fiotakis.
“We stayed 3 people on a 20 square metre flat bed,” he described. “We did not even have TV to watch the Games!
“While the USA and UK and a couple other countries had PlayStations and huge apartments with big windows, private gyms, watt bikes and coffee shop lounges.”
Fiotakis further explained that the language barrier between athlete staff and organisational staff became a real problem.
“90% of the organisation personnel did not speak English. So it was such a mess to get things sorted.
“Laundry was a mess; losing clothes and spending hours in line to sort things
out.”
Worst of all for Fiotakis, his experience was further marred by problesm with Covid restrictions and self-isolation.
“The day when Tsitsipas played the third round against Humbert (27th July), at two in the morning they contacted me that I was in close contact on my flight from Frankfurt on 19th July.
“There were members from Italy and Germany, plus many more athletes, on the same flight.
“I was asked to isolate myself, despite already being in Japan for nine days and having nine negative tests. I had to do a PCR test so I could go and see Tsitsipas play and I was told to warm [him] up via video call.
“The PCR took ages but came back negative, finally at 1pm I was told that I was okay to go to the stadium, but by car with an escort and not by bus.
“So I was not going to coach Stefanos and follow the routine and talk to him before the match.
“I arrived at 2pm, an hour after the start of the match, and I was accompanied by six health workers like a criminal sitting alone under the hot sun.
“In addition, I had not eaten because I was in quarantine from 7am. So they did not let me have any contact with the rest of the team.”
Christos Fiotakis has spoken angrily about the circumstances endured by himself and others surrounding the tennis events and their organisation.
To begin with, the accommodation situation was thoroughly underwhelming according to Fiotakis.
“We stayed 3 people on a 20 square metre flat bed,” he described. “We did not even have TV to watch the Games!
“While the USA and UK and a couple other countries had PlayStations and huge apartments with big windows, private gyms, watt bikes and coffee shop lounges.”
Fiotakis further explained that the language barrier between athlete staff and organisational staff became a real problem.
“90% of the organisation personnel did not speak English. So it was such a mess to get things sorted.
“Laundry was a mess; losing clothes and spending hours in line to sort things
out.”
Worst of all for Fiotakis, his experience was further marred by problesm with Covid restrictions and self-isolation.
“The day when Tsitsipas played the third round against Humbert (27th July), at two in the morning they contacted me that I was in close contact on my flight from Frankfurt on 19th July.
“There were members from Italy and Germany, plus many more athletes, on the same flight.
“I was asked to isolate myself, despite already being in Japan for nine days and having nine negative tests. I had to do a PCR test so I could go and see Tsitsipas play and I was told to warm [him] up via video call.
“The PCR took ages but came back negative, finally at 1pm I was told that I was okay to go to the stadium, but by car with an escort and not by bus.
“So I was not going to coach Stefanos and follow the routine and talk to him before the match.
“I arrived at 2pm, an hour after the start of the match, and I was accompanied by six health workers like a criminal sitting alone under the hot sun.
“In addition, I had not eaten because I was in quarantine from 7am. So they did not let me have any contact with the rest of the team.”
