Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Grand Slam hopes dismissed in brutal verdict from acclaimed pundit
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ hopes of lifting a first Grand Slam title have been dismissed despite a strong return to form for the two-time major finalist.
Former world No 3 Tsitsipas defeated Felix Auger Aliassime 6-3, 6-3 to lift his Dubai Tennis Championships title on Saturday, having previously lost the final at the tournament in 2019 and 2020.
The Greek had been beaten all 11 of his past finals at ATP 500 level, and victory in Dubai was his first title since the Monte Carlo Masters back in April 2024.
Tsitsipas now holds 12 ATP Tour titles and is back into the top 10 of the ATP Rankings thanks to his triumph, rising up to world No 9.
A first ATP 500 title for the 26-year-old means that he has now won titles at 250, 500, and 1000 level, alongside prevailing at the ATP Finals back in 2019.
However, the Greek is yet to win a Grand Slam tournament, losing both the 2021 French Open and 2023 Australian Open finals to Novak Djokovic.
Tsitsipas has reached just two Grand Slam quarter-finals since his Melbourne run two years ago and, despite an encouraging week in Dubai, his Grand Slam hopes have been dismissed by Benoit Maylin.
Speaking on Sans Filet, the acclaimed pundit claimed that Tsitsipas’ one-handed backhand would cause him to “struggle” – and said he could not see the former world No 3 winning a major.
He said: “Everyone knows that with his backhand, he’s going to struggle for the rest of his career. He’s not going to switch to a two-handed backhand, it’s impossible. So what do you do?
“It’s exactly the story of Federer against Nadal. ‘Change your strings, remove strings, add strings, stop topspin, take the ball earlier, shorten the rallies.’
“It’s a daily job. At some point, you tell yourself that you’ve managed to do it.
“OK, Indian Wells is coming. And there you’re up against all the best. He’s there, he’s ninth [in the world], he’s shown us that he’s capable of playing tennis, it doesn’t surprise me. He’s an extraordinary player, no one is surprised. It’s nothing new.
“But now, what we expect from him is not to win Dubai or Monte Carlo because he’s already done that – it’s to win a Grand Slam. And I don’t see how he can do it.”
ATP Tour News
Tsitsipas’ Dubai triumph came with the Greek using a blacked-out racket, a departure from the Wilson Blade that he had used throughout a significant chunk of his career.
The racket was still made by Wilson, but it is unknown how permanent the change will be and if it will help the Greek continue his return to form.
He will next be in action in Indian Wells, the first Masters 1000 event of the year on the ATP Tour.
With world No 1 Jannik Sinner suspended, Tsitsipas is set to be the eighth seed in the desert – though has struggled to find his best form at the tournament.
The Greek’s best run in his six appearances is a solitary quarter-final run back in 2021, losing to Nikoloz Basilashvili in three sets.
Tsitsipas reached the fourth round twelve months ago, losing to Jiri Lehecka in straight sets.
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