What was Stefanos Tsitsipas’s previous best tennis score?
At the Miami Open, Stefanos Tsitsipas lost badly to Denis Shapovalov in the second round. Despite Shapovalov’s prolonged struggles with injuries and form, Tsitsipas was unable to generate even one breakpoint opportunity against him in more than a year.
So far this season, Tsitsipas hasn’t had a terrific one. The runner-up at the Australian Open last year lost both the Los Cabos title and his point defense, collapsing against Taylor Fritz in the fourth round. Right now, he is ranked No. 11 in the live world rankings.
Tsitsipas has just finished a stellar 2–18 season in which he made his debut against Novak Djokovic to reach the Canadian Masters Open final.
The 20-year-old, who had defeated players like Andrey Rublev, Hubert Hurkacz, Frances Tiafoe, and Alex de Minaur, magnificently concluded the year by winning the Next Gen Finals.
At the Australian Open, the Greek shocked reigning champion Roger Federer in four sets to begin the 2019 season in the same fashion. He made his top-10 debut in 2019 and won 54 games, five of which came against the Big 3. He had an incredible season. Similar to 2018, Tsitsipas ended the year by winning the ATP Finals.
Every surface suited Tsitsipas’s aggressive and reckless style of play. His forehand, serve, and volleys were excellent, and he was hailed as the next big thing in tennis.
After winning his first Masters 1000 championship in Monte Carlo, Stefanos Tsitsipas was flying high when he approached Roland Garros in 2021. There was a Barcelona final, and then there was another title in the Lyon Open.
The former world No. 3 was up two sets to love and on the verge of winning a Grand Slam when he succumbed in five sets to Djokovic in the Roland Garros final.
That was painful, but Tsitsipas would have thought he would have had more opportunities to win a slam in spite of the defeat. That loss was three years ago, and with each year that goes by, it seems like the final big opportunity. Despite making it to the Australian Open final in 2023, Tsitsipas never seemed to be able to pose a threat to Djokovic.
Tsitsipas would have anticipated that, as Djokovic and Nadal aged or retired, he would win a few major championships. But he continued to lose to them even after they turned 35. Perhaps sooner than Tsitsipas had anticipated, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner arrived.
Tsitsipas may come across as upbeat during his press conferences, but he doesn’t seem to have the same drive and appetite as before. You wonder how much of that is related to Sinner, Alcaraz, and other players becoming more and more prominent.
It must have been hard for him to take in when a younger, better, more captivating player appeared in front of him and received all the attention, recognition, and majors he had hoped for.
He seems to have realized that he no longer has a chance to win the major titles after suffering back-to-back crushing defeats against Alcaraz.
For any ambitious player, it seems as though he has come to the terrible reality that he is not as special as he once believed. It’s terrifying to admit that you will work your entire career in other people’s shadows.The rearhand keeps getting worse.
Following his Miami practice with Alcaraz, Tsitsipas recently acknowledged that he was curious to find out Sinner’s and Alcaraz’s secrets.
Their lack of flaws is the biggest secret about their style of play. Since going on tour, Tsitsipas’ backhand hasn’t changed, and it appears to be regressing.
He used to get away with it, but now that they are aware of his weakness, his opponents take advantage of any chance they get to attack his backhand during the match. His recent struggles with slice and topspin on his backhand have cost him dearly.
It was Tsitsipas’s first time out of the top 10 since March 2019. This year, his first-serve percentage has dropped to an all-time low. Even though the clay season hasn’t started, his first-serve point totals are the lowest they have been since 2018.
In his past ten games against opponents rated in the top 10, Tsitsipas has only triumphed once. The Greek player appears to have stagnated or even deteriorated, while the players surrounding him appear to have improved.
Stefanos Tsitsipas isn’t even close to being a contender right now, and the clay season, in which he will have to defend a lot of points, will either make or break his season.
