Stefanos Tsitsipas was recently a real force to be reckoned with in men’s tennis, with the Greek star once ranked third in the world.
But that career-high August 2021 ranking is well behind the 25-year-old, who has now dropped out of the top 10.
The Greek currently sits in 11th place, falling two places from ninth following his French Open quarter-final exit.
It was, however, always going to be near-impossible for Tsitsipas to make it into the final four in Paris given that he was up against Carlos Alcaraz, who went on to win the competition.
The former admitted that the latter brings him ‘trouble’ every time they meet, with the Spaniard having won their clash in straight sets.
Stefanos Tsitsipas still seeking first Grand Slam title
Tsitsipas certainly isn’t in the worst form of his life, having won his third Monte-Carlo Masters title in April, becoming the fifth player to clinch three or more wins there alongside Rafael Nadal, Bjorn Borg, Thomas Muster and Ilie Nastase.
But a Grand Slam title continues to elude the Greek, who suffered a fourth round exit in the first major of the season at the Australian Open.
The 25-year-old has certainly come close, having lost the 2021 French Open and 2023 Australian Open finals, with both defeats coming against Novak Djokovic.
Again, he was always going to be the underdog given the quality of his opposition, but the Greek has not helped himself in more recent times as his search for a maiden major success continues.
Tsitsipas’ anger on the court has been evident on plenty of occasions, although the men’s star has admitted that actions such as throwing his racket away or smashing it on the ground do help alleviate frustration.
The big problem Stefanos Tsitsipas has ahead of Wimbledon
But perhaps that frustration would not be there in the first place if the Greek placed a stronger emphasis on his singles career.
Competing in singles and doubles is a normal occurrence for many men’s and women’s stars, with Tsitsipas one of the biggest names doing just that.
Along with his solo plans at the French Open, he entered the men’s doubles and mixed doubles competitions.
Having never gone beyond the second round at a major with his brother Petros Tsitsipas, the duo reached the quarter-finals in Paris, but that is where their journey ended.
Stefanos also had grand plans with his girlfriend Paula Badosa, but that pairing withdrew before playing a game.
Wimbledon is now rapidly approaching, and Tsitsipas has a big decision to make about whether or not to divide his time across singles and doubles once again.
Women’s star Coco Gauff perhaps finds herself in a similar situation on the WTA Tour, with the American also balancing her game between singles and doubles.
The one-time Grand Slam winner suffered a semi-final exit in France in the former, but went on to lift the doubles trophy alongside Katerina Siniakova.
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