Stefanos Tsitsipas has dismissed doubts over his dedication to tennis by saying he is training more than he has ever done in his career.
The world No.7 comes into this week’s European Open aiming to seek his first title since the Los Cabos Open at the start of August. However, since then he has failed to win back-to-back matches at five consecutive tournaments. His most recent defeat was at the Shanghai Masters where he lost his second match to Ugo Humbert.
“There are always going to be moments like this, and I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be the last time something like this happens. Speaking of which, yes, these last few weeks perhaps even two months haven’t been that great and my level of performance hasn’t been delivering up to my standards,” Tsitsipas told the ATP podcast earlier this month.
“And I do feel it. I do feel the disappointment and I do feel the need to get better. I have been working a lot of hours on the court. We still in the time, through difficult times we grow in. And I try to see it from the from the bright side, even though it hurts a little bit.”
Coinciding with his mixed results on the Tour, Tsitsipas has also made further changes to his coaching setup by bringing his father Apostolos back into his team as his main coach. That decision was made after he decided to stop working with Mark Philippoussis for a second time.
“People who claim that I am no longer focused on tennis, I train more than I ever did in my career,” Tsitsipas said on Monday at the European Open. “I don’t want to prove anything to anyone, except to myself, to prove to myself that I am capable of regaining my level. I believe in it.”
Tsitsipas is hoping to end his season on a high as he seeks to secure his place at the ATP Finals next month. He is currently sixth in the ATP Race to Turin with a 200-point lead over Alexander Zverev. A deep run in Antwerp this week will help him further secure his current standing.
Given a bye in the first round, Tsitsipas is set to begin his campaign at the European Open against either Dominic Stricker or Botic van de Zandschulp. His win-loss for the year currently stands at 43-19.
