What’s Next (Or Not) for Stefanos Tsitsipas After Early Melbourne Exit

“Yeah, for positive I had a more energizing thoughts again then. It appeared like I used to be hungrier in a totally completely different approach than I’m now, Tsitsipas mentioned in his post-match press convention. “I might positively say that one factor that stood out essentially the most again then is that I had this starvation to try to make a life out of tennis and to attempt to have a very good starting in my tennis profession and my tennis journey. It is completely different than it’s now.”

“I might truly say that I am a greater participant now than I used to be again then. So despite the fact that I am shedding now and I am not at my greatest, I really feel like I am significantly better as a participant than again then the place I felt like my photographs weren’t as heavy when it comes to topspin. I used to be enjoying far more flat and far more via the court docket.”

“I really feel like such factor now would not work as successfully because it did again then.”

Now at present ranked No. 12 on the planet, Tsitsipas rose as excessive as No. 3 again in 2021. A two-time main finalist, together with at Melbourne simply as latest as 2023, Tsitsipas was a part of the unofficial “Subsequent Gen Now” era of gamers that appeared able to take over from the “Large Three.”

That included Dominic Thiem, who received his solely main, the US Open in 2020, and has since retired, together with Alexander Zverev, now at World No. 2 who continues to be very a lot within the combine to win his first main. Tsitsipas continues to be ready to do this. However now it’s not the “Large Three” that Tsitsipas, and others on the tour, must take care of, however now “The New Wave” in Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz who’re already a number of main title holders.

Add in a rising crop of youthful gamers who’re hitting the ball a lot greater than gamers only a few years in the past, and plenty of, together with Tsitsipas, surprise the place he’ll slot in amid this sea change within the recreation.

It is in all probability not a shock then that Tsitsipas has a sure fondness for “the great previous days.”

“Once I got here round in 2018, the sport was very completely different to what it’s now. It wasn’t as bodily. I’ve had wins over Novak (Djokovic), and I felt like I performed properly, and I did not must sort of exceed essentially the most excessive model of myself in that individual match,” Tsitsipas mentioned.

“I bear in mind it fairly fondly and intensely. The sport has shifted extra in the direction of a bodily recreation. I really feel just like the margins grow to be smaller, which means that you just’re not getting as many free factors. I really feel like innovation has stepped in and allowed gamers to serve even greater than earlier than. I positively put emphasis on that.”

“Once I performed years in the past, I felt prefer it was much less highly effective normally, the sport. It was nonetheless bodily, but it surely was not as large as it’s now. So I do really feel like energy has taken over, which means that everybody can hit arduous now. You simply must be exact as properly, mix these two, and you’ve got the final word participant.”

In 2024, Tsitsipas achieved constant outcomes, however nothing to counsel that he can be an element on the majors that 12 months. He additionally endured continued criticism about his backhand, particularly on his return, that many really feel is not efficient because it as soon as was, and it’s now an open secret on the tour for gamers to function a lot as attainable to that wing.

On prime of that, Tsitsipas went via a really vocal and public breakup along with his long-time coach and father Apostolos after a gap spherical loss in Montreal to Kei Nishikori that once more raised questions on the place Tsitsipas’ profession was headed.

What occurs this season with the favored Greek who tends to weigh every win or loss via a private philosophical lens, will probably be fascinating to observe. Particularly on how he’ll try to discover a method to rise upwards from this latest plateau.

However for Tsitsipas, he’d reasonably be enjoying than ready round for the following occasion.

“Probably the most irritating half about shedding within the first spherical of a Grand Slam is that you’ve got approach an excessive amount of time to get well, and I might reasonably have the opposite approach round the place I haven’t got sufficient time to get well,” Tsitsipas mentioned. “Truthfully that is a lot, significantly better when it comes to problem-solving.

“It simply sucks in a approach that I will be round, hanging round, for fairly some time now earlier than my subsequent event is available in. With my aggressive nature, I really feel like these kind of issues should not actually best for me.”