DUBAI: The thread running through Stefanos Tsitsipas’ run at the Dubai Duty Free tennis championship this week has been his fight, not the lack of it. The gifted Greek appeared lost on the court for most part of the last couple of years, and it gradually reflected on his ranking which dipped out of the top-10 for the first time in five years last Feb.
The 26-year-old backed himself with successive three set wins over Karen Khachanov and Matteo Berrettini to make the last-four here, his first ATP 500 semis since last July. Tsitsipas then beat Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor 6-4, 6-4 to make the final, where he meets Felix Auger-Aliassime.
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"The ability to fight is the most important one for an athlete, once you lose that, you are useless on the court," Tsitsipas said. "There is no match without fighting, you have to fight. The best victories are the ones you fought for. You’re not in control (of the match) and you somehow find that little gap and you win the match, that’s the most thrilling moment a tennis player can experience.
"You feel a little lost, not that confident with certain things that you have done to your game," Tsitsipas said of the road back. "It’s difficult to fake the confidence. It helps if you win, and you see yourself in the level that you are kind of imagining in your mind. That brings you confidence."
The World No.11 – a six-time Grand Slam semifinalist, and twice finalist at Roland Garros (2021) and Australian Open (2023) – rued the lost opportunity of seasons gone. "I wish I had more of those matches where I fought and came back and won," he said. "There were not enough of those moments in 2024. I need to recreate those moments."
Not unsurprisingly, the Tsitsipas corner wears a different look these days. Tsitsipas’ father Apostolos, a disruptive presence at courtside, was his longtime coach until the 6-feet-4 pro announced in Aug that he wouldn’t be working with his father any longer and introduced his new coach Dimitris Chatzinikolaou, the Greek Davis Cup captain.
