Stefanos Tsitsipas is a two-time Grand Slam finalist, ATP Finals champion, and two-time Masters champion. He is without question one of the best tennis players on the planet.
And yet recently he has been generating more headlines for his life off the court rather than his performances on it. Ever since publicly announcing his relationship with fellow tennis player Paula Badosa, they have taken social media by storm with their antics together. Seeing two people so happy in each other’s company is a wonderful thing.
Unfortunately this positivity has yet to help his performances on the court. In fact, since announcing their relationship at the beginning of the grass court season, the Greek’s performances have regressed. He has lost three of his four matches, his sole victory coming in a final set tiebreak against Frenchman Gregoire Barrere. Despite winning the title last year in Mallorca, it is fair to say that grass has been Tsitsipas’s least successful surface throughout his career. But his recent decline in form has been particularly acute.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2023
Before the grass court season, the Greek’s season had seen him regularly come close without being rewarded with a title. He lost the final of the Australian Open, the final in Barcelona, reached the semifinals of the Italian Open, and made quarterfinal appearances in Monte-Carlo, Madrid, and at Roland-Garros. The two-time Grand Slam finalist played a lot of good tennis despite the lack of a title. He seems to have regressed dramatically since arriving on the grass.
Tsitsipas’ biggest weakness on the grass is how the surface exposes his backhand. His backhand return is probably the weakest part of his game, and it can be targeted on grass very effectively. During the rallies, he can often seem rushed and uncomfortable on his backhand wing.
But Tsitsipas has shown in spells what he is capable of on grass. What got lost in the chaos of his infamous encounter with Nick Kyrgios at last year’s Wimbledon was the amount of stunning tennis that both men produced. His performance would have been good enough to beat almost any player in the world, Kyrgios was just in inspired form. Tsitsipas has an excellent first serve and his forehand is a weapon on any surface. If he can find his form, he is capable of being a threat.
However, if he is to have a strong run at SW19, it may have to be the hard way. His first round matchup against Dominic Thiem is one of the most attractive in the draw, although he should still have confidence against the Austrian, who is in the midst of a very difficult run of form, as well as playing on his least favorite surface. Then in the second round he faces the prospect of a second round encounter with Andy Murray. Murray has won two grass court Challenger events and has spoken openly about Wimbledon being his best chance of another deep run at a Grand Slam. He would provide a major test. If he navigates that, he has other impressive grass court players in his section–most notably last year’s semifinalist Cameron Norrie, but also Mallorca finalist Christopher Eubanks, as well as Sebastian Korda and Maxime Cressy.
The route to the quarterfinal is difficult, and his recent form does not inspire much confidence. But Stefanos Tsitsipas is still the fifth seed and a top-class player.
Can he turn the tide and produce some Wimbledon heroics with his new girlfriend willing him on?
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
