2023 was a mixed bag for Stefanos Tsitsipas. On the one hand, it was his sixth consecutive top six ranking finish, so it has to be considered a positive season, all things considered. At the same time, it was also a season marred by disappointment after his run to the final at the Australian Open, with a notable absence of big wins and just one ATP 250 title to show for his efforts. No one could be blamed for not being too optimistic about Tsitsipas’s 2024 prospects after the way this season has gone.
Stefanos Tsitsipas 2023 Season in Review
Second Grand Slam final
Tsitsipas started the season very well, with a run to the final of the Australian Open. He took on Novak Djokovic with both a first Grand Slam title and the world No. 1 ranking on the line. The Greek actually played at a good level in the final, but he faltered in the decisive moments of each set and ended up losing in straights. It was his second loss in a Grand Slam final, after losing 2021 Roland Garros also to Djokovic, and a missed chance to become No. 1 in the world. It was still a very good run for Tsitsipas, one that certainly made people believe he could be in for a big 2023. Unfortunately for the Greek, that ended up being the peak of his season.
Post-Australian Open slump
After the disappointment of losing the final in Melbourne, Tsitsipas was never the same in 2023. Despite getting enough points to finish the year ranked No. 6, it was the first time since 2020 that Tsitsipas failed to win a Masters 1000 title (he didn’t even reach a final). He only reached one other Slam quarterfinal and only won one title, a 250 event in Los Cabos.
Tsitsipas had plenty of shocking losses against much lower-ranked players, finishing the season with ten losses against players outside the top 40. In fact, he was in the news more for his relationship with Paula Badosa than his on-court results. A lot of this was because of injuries, but there’s also a sense that Tsitsipas lacks focus and drive and that his game has stagnated.
Late season mini-resurgence
Tsitsipas had a bit of a resurgence at the end of the season, making three consecutive semifinals in Antwerp, Vienna, and Paris Bercy, but came up short in all three, most notably in Bercy where he lost to Grigor Dimitrov in a third set tiebreaker. In this run, he got his first and only top 10 win of the year over Alexander Zverev. However, he ultimately capped off a somewhat disappointing season by withdrawing from the ATP Finals in Turin due to injury at the beginning of his second round robin match against Holger Rune.
Going into 2024, there are huge question marks about whether Tsitsipas will ever be able to contend for big titles again. With the new generation (Alcaraz, Sinner, Rune) seemingly having surpassed him and Novak Djokovic still going as strong as ever, the path is only getting tougher for the Greek. 2024 will be a huge season for Tsitsipas; if he is to find a solution to the aforementioned opponents and win Slams and other big titles, this is the time to do it. At 25 years old, he’s in the prime of his career and needs to make his move as soon as possible.
Main Photo Credit: Danielle Parhizkaran – USA TODAY Sports
