1 day Ago By Yasmin Syed
Stefanos Tsitsipas suffered another tough defeat on Tuesday, this time at the Madrid Open. The Greek star recently dropped out of the world’s top 15 for the first time in seven years and has struggled to go deep at any of the clay events this season. After losing to Lorenzo Musetti for the second time in under a month, Tsitsipas admitted there was a “very strange” problem with his game.
The 26-year-old now finds himself in unknown territory, feeling lost and unable to regain his confidence. As a three-time Monte-Carlo Masters champion and former French Open finalist, everyone expected Tsitsipas to find his best level on the clay. But the world No.
18 failed to defend his title in Monaco and has not gone beyond the quarter-final at any tournament on the surface. Having beaten him in Monte-Carlo a few weeks ago, Musetti handed Tsitsipas another heartbreaking loss in Madrid on Tuesday, winning a close two-set match 7-5 7-6(3). Afterwards, the Greek player got candid as he admitted he didn’t know how to fix the new issues in his game.
“I have no confidence in my forehand, something very strange, something I'm not used to,” a dejected Tsitsipas said. “My shots are normal, they’re not what they used to be. It’s frustrating.
Training was incredible, everything was going well but I’m looking for something better. I hope to feel like I’m doing something with the ball when it comes to me. “Now I feel like I’m not doing enough, it comes out very flat, without enough rotation, without enough power.
It’s frustrating not being able to correct that.” Tsitsipas will have a chance to fix things at the upcoming Italian Open, which starts next week. He has also entered the ATP 500 in Hamburg the week before the French Open But the former world No.
3 doesn’t know where to begin. He added: “I don't know how to work on that, I'll find out by talking to my team. “There are some things I've improved, like maybe getting more balls in on my return, which is something I've improved on.
But I feel like I'm not doing enough damage with my return, that when I return I don't have the confidence that the ball will do enough damage, when I connect with the ball. “It’s frustrating because I know I have the ability to play like that, to put pressure, both on my return and on the exchange. Right now I’m a bit lost.
I need time to see which way to go.” Tsitsipas’ coaching situation also remains up in the air. There were reports that Goran Ivanisevic would join his team after the French Open, but the 26-year-old said he could neither confirm nor deny the rumours.
However, his father, Apostolos, has been in his box during recent matches even though they ended their tumultuous coaching partnership last summer..
