Stefanos Tsitsipas and the calm before the storm?
In 2021Stefanos Tsitsipas reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open. What's in it for the Greek in the coming year?
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Dec 26, 2021, 12:16 am
The experts agree: The big favorites for the title at the Australian Open are Novak Djokovic - if the Serb will actually serve in Melbourne -, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev. On the other hand, it is completely open who can be seen as the first challenger of these three men.
If you take a look at the current world rankings, you would have to throw the name Stefanos Tsitsipas into play. However, there is more than just a big question mark behind the 23-year-old's shape. Since the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, the Greek has not made it past the quarter-finals in any tournament, and Tsitsipas underwent an operation on his elbow in the off-season.
ATP Cup as a gallop
At least on the training grounds around the world, the 23-year-old can already be found again, Tsitsipas will compete for the first time at the ATP Cup in Sydney from January 1, before the Australian Open starts in Melbourne on January 17.
In the run-up to the Australian summer, apart from the few training pictures, almost nothing was heard from the Greek, so the doubts about Tsitsipas' fitness are correspondingly great. But maybe that's just the calm before the storm.
Tsitsipas with breakthrough in Melbourne
The memories of the Australian hard courts are likely to be mostly positive at Tsitsipas, as he made the final breakthrough in world tennis in 2019 with the last 16 victory over the then defending champion Roger Federer. A few days later, however, the Greek Rafael Nadal had to admit defeat in the semifinals.
Last season, Tsitsipas took revenge in the quarter-finals for this defeat, despite a 2-0 set deficit, he secured a place in the semi-finals in the empty Rod Laver Arena. In which, however, it ended against a man who will again be one of the big favorites in 2022: Daniil Medvedev.