Tsitsipas’ Munich switch backfires, rankings slide continues

Stefanos Tsitsipas walked disconnected the tribunal successful Munich connected Wednesday aft different first-round decision that highlighted however acold the erstwhile world fig three has drifted from the sport’s elite amid wounded ​problems and inconsistent form.

Resuming astatine 2-2 successful the deciding acceptable against Fabian Marozsan aft ‌play was suspended connected Tuesday owed to darkness, the 27-year-old Greek crashed retired 3-6 7-6(5) 6-4 successful a decision that will spot his ranking slide into the 70s, his lowest successful 8 years.

Tsitsipas, who decided to play successful Munich ​this year alternatively of his usual tour stop successful Barcelona, knows that the much his ​ranking slides the tougher his opponents will beryllium successful the aboriginal stages of ⁠tournaments.

“I’m alert that I mightiness request to play bully players successful earlier rounds astatine antithetic tournaments ​this year,” helium told Tennis TV up of the ATP 500 tournament.

“It’s not an casual happening to ​get to play them early, but I besides judge the situation and I judge my existent presumption and state, that these things request to hap successful bid for maine to get backmost to where I belong.”

Tsitsipas showed plentifulness of ​potential when helium broke done 8 years agone but since reaching the finals of the French ​Open successful 2021 and Australian Open successful 2023 helium has struggled to present a sustained tally of form.

A niggling ‌back wounded ⁠derailed the 2nd fractional of his 2025 run and while helium began this year saying his extremity was conscionable to consciousness competitory again, his lone decent tally came successful Doha where helium reached the quarter-finals.

Questions person been asked astir his professionalism, with Goran Ivanisevic, who coached him successful 2025, saying aft ​the Greek’s first-round exit ​at Wimbledon past year ⁠that helium had not seen a much “unprepared player” successful his life.

Before Munich, Tsitsipas said helium would see playing much ATP 250 tournaments to regain his ​rhythm. The Geneva Open is the lone tournament astatine that level up of ​Roland Garros, which ⁠begins connected May 24.

“I’m a subordinate that needs matches, I’m a subordinate that needs to play a batch of sets to consciousness my crippled better, and this is something I mightiness request to bash successful ⁠the adjacent ​couple of weeks,” helium added.

“I’m expecting to play a batch ​of tournaments, I want to get a batch of tournaments under my belt, but of people beryllium cautious where I take ​my tournaments and when I get to play.” [Reuters]