Stefanos Tsitsipas thinks he has an idea on how to win in the ‘rough’ conditions at Indian Wells

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Stefanos Tsitsipas has enjoyed success on the ATP Tour recently after making a drastic change.

The former world number three hadn’t enjoyed the best of starts to his 2025 campaign, winning just two of his first five matches on the ATP Tour.

Tsitsipas lost to Alex Michelsen in the first round of the Australian Open, 5-7, 3-6, 6-2, 4-6, as he was shocked by the American youngster in Melbourne.

Traveling to the Netherlands for the Rotterdam Open, Tsitsipas was beaten by Mattia Bellucci in the quarter-finals in straight sets.

Another first-round defeat followed in Doha, as Hamad Medjedovic beat Tsitsipas in his opening match at the Qatar Open.

Realizing changes needed to be made, Tsitsipas replaced his racket ahead of the ATP 500 tournament in Dubai, a move that paid off immediately.

Taking down Felix-Auger-Aliassime in the final, Tsitsipas won the Dubai Tennis Championships, enjoying the best week of his season.

The Greek star has carried that momentum through to the Indian Wells Masters 1000 event, as he now shares his thoughts on the ‘rough’ conditions in California.

Stefanos Tsitsipas played ‘aggressive’ to deal with tough conditions in second-round win at Indian Wells

Tsitsipas began his Indian Wells campaign with a 6-2, 6-4, victory over Brazil’s Thiago Seyboth Wild, setting up a tough clash with Matteo Berrettini in the third round.

Speaking after his win over Seyboth Wild, Tsitsipas delivered his verdict on the conditions in California.

“One thing I felt like was completely different here were the balls,” he said.

“In Dubai, the balls are much heavier, the balls here are slightly softer and have much more air movement than the ones in Dubai.

“Also the surface here is rougher on the top layer, makes the balls bounce a bit more and not skid through the court as much.”

The 26-year-old then gave some insight into the tactics he’s using this week to combat the ‘rough’ conditions.

“I just feel like playing an aggressive top spin game might help here,” said Tsitsipas.

“I’m trying to pull that off on the court.”

Tsitsipas looked in scintillating form against Seyboth Wild as he extended his winning streak to six matches, form he’ll need to maintain if he’s to beat Berrettini in the third round.

The Italian star knocked out Australia’s Christopher O’Connell in straight sets, beginning his tournament with a similarly convincing win.

Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini’s head-to-head record

The pair will face off in a mouth-watering third-round clash on Sunday, but who has had the better of their previous five meetings?

The Greek star has suffered just one defeat at the hands of Berrettini, winning their most recent encounter in Dubai last month.

An in-form Tsitsipas clinched the first set in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-5), as he looked to advance to his first semi-final of the season.

Battling back, the former Wimbledon finalist stepped into another gear in the second set, dropping just one game as he leveled things up in the UAE.

Breaking at 4-5 in the third set, Tsitsipas clinched his fourth win over Berrettini, impressing throughout.

He’ll be hoping for more of the same at Indian Wells, as he looks to take advantage of a draw that has opened up nicely for him.

Number one seed Alexander Zverev lost his opening match to Tallon Griekspoor and Casper Ruud was shocked by Marcos Giron.

With the two top seeds from his ‘half’ of the draw out after the second round, Tsitsipas now looks to be one of the favorites to reach his first hard-court Masters 1000 final since 2022.

He won’t want to get too ahead of himself, however, as he first focuses on his third-round match with Berrettini on Sunday, March 9.