Once hailed as a prodigious talent destined to challenge the dominance of tennis’s “Big Three,” Greek sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas finds himself at a critical juncture in his career.
After his recent withdrawal from Wimbledon due to a persistent back injury, the former World No. 3, now ranked No. 26, faces a future shrouded in uncertainty. This dramatic fall from grace marks a stark contrast to his early career, which saw him reach two Grand Slam finals (both to Novak Djokovic), claim the 2019 ATP Finals title at just 21, and accumulate 11 ATP titles.
Stefanos Tsitsipas: “No point in competing”
Since his professional debut in 2016, Tsitsipas has consistently stirred the tennis world. However, the last twelve months have seen a freefall for his career, culminating in his disconsolate declaration after his early Wimbledon exit:
“As a human being, I also have my limits. I have to make a final decision on whether or not I want to continue in the coming months. If I see that the situation continues in the same direction, then there is no point in competing.”
This candid admission followed a devastating period in which, across the last seven Grand Slams (from early 2024 to now), he has managed only one fourth-round appearance (Australian Open 2024) and one quarter-final (Roland Garros 2024), alongside three first-round and two second-round exits.
The “fear” that he might drop out of the Top 10 for the first time since 2019, which arose after his January 2024 elimination by Fritz in Melbourne, has unfortunately materialized. He now stands at a career-low No. 26, seemingly “falling off a cliff and desperately looking for a branch to grab onto.”
While his Monday declaration about potential retirement sent shockwaves across the world of tennis, few truly believe a permanent withdrawal is imminent for the 26-year-old, who turns 27 on August 12. A temporary break to “clear his mind” might be necessary, but a definitive end to his career at this age seems unlikely, says a report in Proto Thema.
Stefanos Tsitsipas changed three coaches in 12 months
Yet, his current predicament stems from a confluence of wrong decisions, the immense pressure of championship aspirations, and an overwhelming “storm of emotions that dance like tidal waves inside him and in his clouded mind.”
These past twelve months have been exceptionally turbulent. Tsitsipas has navigated intense personal and professional shifts, including changing coaches three times. The most painful was his August 9, 2024, announcement that his father, Apostolos Tsitsipas, would no longer be his coach, following a dramatic on-court outburst in Montreal.
Dimitris Hadjinikolaou briefly stepped in for ten months before the baton was passed to the esteemed Goran Ivanisevic after Tsitsipas’ first-round exit from Roland Garros earlier this year. Ivanisevic, the former coach of Novak Djokovic, had cautioned upon his appointment, “I’m not Harry Potter…,” a prescient statement given the challenges that have followed.
Mental strain
Indeed, beyond yesterday’s injury-forced withdrawal from Wimbledon (while trailing 2-0 sets to Valentin Royer), Tsitsipas’ primary struggle appears to be mental. The first palpable signs of this inner turmoil emerged last September after his US Open first-round defeat to Thanasis Kokkinakis.
“I don’t look anything like the player I was before. I remember myself when I was younger playing with adrenaline, I felt like my life depended on the match. And I think that has faded, [and] let’s say my consistency level wasn’t that great,” he confessed.
“I know it sounds strange, but I feel like I need to find the hunger I had back then and I’m not a person who feels good or who settles for normal things. But I want to bring it back, because back then I felt great joy in tennis,” he said. “I really don’t know why I’ve been on this decline for the last two months. I would even consider it a year or two, that I’ve been feeling like this. I guess I’ve been able to hide it a little bit in the past.”
His defeat to Zverev in the Basel semifinals on November 2, 2024 saw him miss the ATP Finals for the first time since 2019, ending the year on a sour note. Reflecting on the season, he stated, “I will not focus on specific tournaments in 2025, I just want to have a good year, to have excellent results. A season for which I can say ‘I am proud of myself, I did everything I could.’ Something I cannot say about this season.”
Days later, he shocked followers on Instagram by admitting, “This season was not my most successful,[as] I found myself in a dark place and I was not sure that I would get out of it.”
Hope of rebirth in 2025 dashed
Despite a brief resurgence with a victory at the Dubai tournament earlier this year, Tsitsipas’ hope for a “rebirth” in 2025 has been dashed. His optimistic Instagram post after defeating Aliassime, where he declared, “They said my game was…sinking, so I got myself a boat,” as a jab at his critics, now rings hollow. As it turns out, “the boat he took on himself continues to sail wrong and the problem is not the captain (coach), but the…destination he has set himself.”
His personal life has seen recent shifts too, with an “express divorce” on May 5, 2025, followed by a reunion with Paula Badosa on May 24, 2025. “Things are more balanced now. We talk about tennis since it is our job, but we also have other interests away from the courts which I think keep us more…healthy,” he confided a month after their reconciliation.
Now, the challenge for Tsitsipas is to find his tennis equilibrium and truly seize a second chance at his career. The child within him who once dreamed of conquering Roland Garros and Wimbledon still exists, says a report in Proto Thema.
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