Stefanos Tsitsipas: Future Grand Slam Champion?
Matthew Cronin
All the Grand Slam champions on the ATP Tour are now 30 years or older. Perhaps in the next couple of years, a new young player or players will win a Grand Slam.
None have yet, although Dominic Thiem made a final at Roland Garros. Alexander Zverev hasn't got beyond the quarterfinals of a major, Nick Kyrgios can't seem to get it together consistently enough, and most of the others haven't shown the game to beat the big guns in five sets.
But there's now another contender -- the 20-year-old Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is rising up, quickly. He is currently ranked 8th in the world, and in a few more months he could crack in the top 5. The tall man at 6"4" is very, very good.
He reached the final in Toronto, defeating Novak Djokovic, and won Stockholm. He reached the semis at the Australian Open, defeating the 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer before he lost to Rafa Nadal, who has won 17 majors.
It was easy to see the reasons for his success. Tsitsipas is strong, patient, and he has an authoritative game.
In 2018, he pushed himself hard and his game began coming together. He has a huge first serve, can wallop his forehand and his one-handed backhand -- crosscourt and down the line -- and he is decent at the net.
He is attacking on second serves, and when his opponent hits it short, he can charge up, and either to crack it into the lines, or in the last second, he will touch it very soft just over the net. He has calm and focus.
But he had a lot more work to do to become a more efficient player. During the offseason, he decided to change his approach.
"I have improved a lot since last year physically, mentally. My game has changed," Tsitsipas said. "I am more aggressive now. I'm actually stronger. I feel stronger. My body has changed. I have worked hours and hours on the court, lots of hours in the gym. I believe it's just part of what I should be doing."
It's not just that, he is committed. When he plays against the great players, he is locked in and he will go for it, minute after minute. Yes, he can be angry when he might not be playing well, but he will hang in there until he gets an opportunity.
He has beaten Federer, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Kevin Anderson and Dominic Thiem — all top 10 players. These are confident players, who don't give away a lot of wins.
Sometimes, he is playing so well, it seems like he can beat anyone. But there are still weeks when a player can mentally disappear. That happened to him following the Australian Open, when he had two bad defeats and almost withdrew from Marseille because he thought he wasn't in shape to play. But guess what -- he won the tournament.
According to Djokovic, Tsitsipas is going upwards.
"He's definitely one of the leaders of NextGen without a doubt. He's had some terrific results and terrific wins," Djokovic said. "He's showing a lot of commitment, a lot of discipline. He's putting in the hours in the gym, on the tennis court, and it's paying off. He's very talented. If he keeps on going this way, he's got a good future."
A lot of people talk about him, some of the players, and the hardcore fans. And some of the journalists, too — like me. The crowds get behind him. But his relationship with some of the other young players isn't that great, and he's traded shots with both Zverev and Kyrgios.
"I think I'm comfortable meeting new people and having a discussion with someone. Not many of the players want to be friends on the tour," Tsitsipas said. "That's a problem. That's an issue, unless you speak the same language. But I would love to, have more friends on tour."
Still, Tsitsipas doesn't necessarily have to become good friends. The five multiple Grand Slam champions -- Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray and Wawrinka -- are decent friends with each other, though Djokovic and Federer have argued sometimes. But Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras, two amazing players, did not have a lot of friends.
What Tsitsipas has is an ability to compete with anyone, whether he likes them or not. Maybe there was an indication of his belief that he belongs at the top in a tweet he sent at the Miami Open questioning how the tour umpires handled top players - which also drew a response from Federer. (Click Here.)
"Mentally, for players to beat the best players, they have to be ready and believe in themselves that their game is great enough to beat such a player. I feel good. I can tell you that," Tsitsipas said.
Aside from Thiem, he may be the only young player who is really ready.
