Stefanos Tsitsipas didn’t hold back when asked about his mindset following a tough second-round defeat at the 2025 French Open.
The Greek star, once a fixture in the top 10 and a familiar presence in Grand Slam late rounds, acknowledged that the grind of the ATP Tour (and more importantly, the toll on his body) has shaken both his confidence and love for the sport.
Stefanos Tsitsipas Endures Just Second 2R Exit at Roland Garros Since 2017 Debut
The 20th-seeded Tsitsipas opened his campaign with a straight-set win over Argentina’s Tomás Martín Etcheverry. But his tournament ended abruptly in the next round with a four-set loss to Matteo Gigante, an Italian qualifier ranked outside the top 100.
Tsitsipas fell 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 — a result that marked his earliest exit in Paris since 2018. With the loss, he’s projected to fall out of the ATP top 20 for the first time in seven years.
In a candid post-match press conference, Tsitsipas opened up about the deeper battle he’s been fighting off the court: lingering injuries and the mental strain that’s come with them.
“One thing that I have dealt with the last couple of years that I wasn’t so much facing before were the injuries that popped up,” he said.
“And psychologically, they did a lot of harm to me. There are a lot of different things that came up after those injuries, which made me feel a lot of discomfort, made me lose a little bit of hope in terms of how my body can respond to certain situations, and the demands of the tour that are constant. The pressure that my body has gone through in order to sustain those matches and long fights.”
Tsitsipas spoke openly about the physical setbacks — including elbow surgery in 2021 and ongoing shoulder and back issues — that have left him second-guessing his ability to meet the tour’s relentless demands.
“I feel like I have been fresher for sure in the past,” he added. “I’m just trying to find that balance again of how can I go match after match feeling the freshest that I can and feeling in the best possible shape that I can.”
Despite the struggles, Tsitsipas emphasized that he’s still learning and growing with each passing season.
“The more years pass, the more I kind of came to an understanding of how important that is in order to go for big titles and try and do something important and useful.”
A Look Into Tsitsipas’ Career Highlights
Tsitsipas has enjoyed a strong career with plenty of standout moments. He broke through in 2019 by winning the ATP Finals at age 21, becoming the youngest year-end champion in over a decade.
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One of his biggest achievements came at the 2021 French Open, where he reached his first Grand Slam final and pushed Novak Djokovic to five sets. He’s also a 2023 Australian Open finalist and a three-time semifinalist in Melbourne. On clay, he’s twice claimed the Monte Carlo Masters title (2021, 2022), and he maintained a consistent top-10 ranking for several years.
