Following his triumph at the Dubai ATP 500 last week, fans have returned to believing that Stefanos Tsitsipas can win a Grand Slam title in the near future.
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The Greek ace had sunk into a very serious crisis in the last two seasons and with the exception of a few highs on the red clay (especially in Monte Carlo) he had moved far away from the goals he had at the beginning of his career.
The rise of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz who have become the two new benchmarks of the men's tour had relegated the Athens ace to a secondary role and he himself had lost almost all his certainties.
His 2024 had been very disappointing except for his third triumph in Monte Carlo in the spring and the new season had not started well with the premature elimination at the Australian Open, one of his favorite tournaments in which he had reached the final in 2023.
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Tsitsipas' next challenges
The level of 'Tsitsi' has returned to be very high in the United Arab Emirates, where he won the first ATP 500 of his career after many lost finals and has finally shown that he has not forgotten how to play tennis.
The former world number 3 will have to prove that this victory was not accidental and the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami will give a first answer in this regard.
On the latest edition of the show 'Sans Filet', top analyst Benoit Maylin praised Tsitsipas for his recent progress but still expressed some doubts about his future: "Everyone knows that his backhand will continue to suffer until the end of his career. He is trying in every way to find a solution, he has changed rackets, he is hitting with less top-spin, he is shortening the duration of rallies and many other things.
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He played very well in Dubai, but there is Indian Wells now and he will have to face the best players. What people expect from a player of his caliber is not a victory in Dubai, but a victory in a Grand Slam tournament. I don't think he can succeed in this feat."
