Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Wimbledon campaign has come to an end, after having to withdraw from his first-round match with Valentin Royer due to a back injury.
Tsitsipas was down by two sets in his clash with the French qualifier, and ultimately made the decision to retire from the contest before the start of the third set.
He joins Holger Rune, Daniil Medvedev, among others, in the list of seeded players to exit the tournament in round one.
It was Tsitsipas’ first Grand Slam match with Goran Ivanisevic as his head coach, whom he spoke about after his early exit at Wimbledon.
Stefanos Tsitsipas speaks about his new coach after early exit at Wimbledon
In his post-match press conference, Tsitsipas said of his relationship with Ivanisevic: “It’s great.
“We’re having a great time. I’m very disappointed that I haven’t been able to show my potential as I deserve on the court.
“It’s not easy. Even though he gives me the greatest confidence in the world, if I don’t feel comfortable, if I don’t feel good about myself and my body, then I can’t prove anything.”
Ivanisevic, who coached Novak Djokovic from 2019 to 2024, was appointed by Tsitsipas after the Greek’s second-round exit at Roland Garros.
Stefanos Tsitsipas gives an update on his back injury at Wimbledon
On his injury, Tsitsipas said: “Surgery definitely is not an option; the damage is already done.
“It is very unfortunate because I remember having told myself that something bad could happen, and I had a little wear in that specific part of the season when I played the Davis Cup and had to go to China a few weeks later.
“I remember telling myself that something bad could happen if I played so many weeks in a row, and I did.
“It did not go well for me at the US Open, but still, I played a lot, trained a lot. That was the period when it happened. The circuit can be very exhausting for your body.”
His Wimbledon conqueror, Royer, will play compatriot Adrian Mannarino in the second round of the championships.
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