Stefanos Tsitsipas points out the big change that has happened in tennis after losing Australian Open first round

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Stefanos Tsitsipas has suffered his earliest exit at the Australian Open since his first main draw appearance back in 2018.

Tsitsipas was poised for a potential early Australian Open exit, having lost his only previous match against young American Alex Michelsen.

That potential upset came to a fruition, with Michelsen backing up his victory over Tsitsipas in Tokyo last year with a four sets win to move into the second round of the Australian Open.

After a relatively poor 2024 season, Tsitsipas had targeted a return to the top 10, but has faced a setback in that goal after dropping 190 ranking points from reaching the fourth round last year.

Stefanos Tsitsipas points out big changes in tennis in recent years

After his disappointing Australian Open loss to Michelsen, Tsitsipas headed to his post-match press conference to face the media.

One of the questions pointed at Tsitsipas related to another player, after Casper Ruud had spoken about changes in the sport last year.

Tsitsipas was then asked about whether he had seen changes on the ATP Tour since breaking through in 2018, with the now 26-year-old looking back on his first victory over Novak Djokovic.

“When I came around in 2018, the game was very different to what it is now,” said Tsitsipas. “It wasn’t as physical. I’ve had wins over Novak, and I felt like I played well, and I didn’t have to kind of exceed the most extreme version of myself in that particular match.

“I remember it quite fondly and intensely. The game has shifted more towards a physical game. I feel like the margins become smaller, meaning that you’re not getting as many free points. I feel like innovation has stepped in and allowed players to serve even bigger than before.

“I definitely put emphasis on that. When I played years ago, I felt like it was less powerful in general, the game. It was still physical, but it was not as big as it is now. So I do feel like power has taken over, meaning that everyone can hit hard now. You just have to be precise as well, combine those two, and you have the ultimate player.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas’ recent Grand Slam results

Tsitsipas is a former world number three, and has reached two Grand Slam finals including the Australian Open in 2023.

However, the 11-time title winner has now only managed one major quarter-final in his last seven Grand Slam appearances.

Tsitsipas will now look to regroup ahead of Greece’s Davis Cup tie against Egypt in Athens.