Stefanos Tsitsipas finds himself in the tennis spotlight again due to his recent controversial comments. The Greek chose to skip the South American clay swing to participate in the more lucrative Middle Eastern tournaments in Doha and Dubai. However, the Argentine player Francisco Cerundolo wasn’t happy with this explanation and fired sharp words at Tsitsipas.
Following this backlash, the Greek posted an Instagram story recently to share his thoughts on the heated situation.
Stefanos Tsitsipas Defends Himself After Francisco Cerundolo’s Heated Reply
Traditionally, Tsitsipas is known for his strong performance on the clay courts, which can be proved by his three Masters 1000 titles at Monte Carlo in 2021, 2022, and 2024, along with the runner-up finish at the 2021 Roland Garros.
However, despite such a strong forte on the surface, the Greek decided to fly to the Middle East rather than South America to compete in the ATP 500 events in Doha and Dubai on the hard courts due to financial reasons.
He said that appearance fees in the Middle East are much better than those in South America, which made him skip his favorite surface. But the local star Cerundolo did not like this answer as he fired back at the Greek, saying, “If you don’t want to come here, don’t come. All those who want to play on clay, discover South American cities, and play a different style of tennis will be more inclined to join us.”
These sharp words from the World No. 20 made it clear that he wasn’t happy with Tsitsipas’s answer, who has now addressed the situation through social media. Posting an Instagram story, he wrote,
“Over the last days, I’ve seen a lot of discussion around comments I made about scheduling tournaments and appearance fees, so I want to clarify things in a simple and honest way.”
He made it clear that he enjoys playing in South America and that his “comments were never a complaint and never meant as criticism.” Talking about the appearance fee, the Greek added, “On the ATP Tour, players outside of prize money have very limited ways to support their careers financially. The reality is that ATP 250 and ATP 500 events are often the only opportunities where appearance fees exist.”
“Because of that, scheduling decisions are sometimes influenced by those factors. This is not unique to me. It is a standard model followed by many players, especially those competing at the top level,” he added. Tsitsipas made it clear that he was just answering a question and “not expressing negativity toward any country or tournament.”
This response by the World No. 43 now makes it clear that his decision to skip the clay tournaments in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Santiago to participate in Doha and Dubai was not based on any other factor other than financial.
How Did Tsitsipas Perform in the Middle East?
Tsitsipas entered the Qatar Open in Doha unseeded and defeated Tunisian star Moez Echargui in the first round. He then took on the fourth seed, Daniil Medvedev, defeating him 6-3, 6-4 to reach the final eight of the tournament. However, the fifth seed, Andrey Rublev, ended his campaign in the quarterfinal with a 6-3, 7-6(2) win.
He then flew to Dubai, where he was eliminated from the tournament in the very first round by the Frenchman Ugo Humbert. Since he lost in the Round of 32, he received 0 ranking points but an appearance fee of $25,825. And his quarterfinal run in Doha was even more rewarding, as he received 100 ranking points along with $77,625, making just above $100,000 in total from these two tournaments.
Had he participated in the Rio Open and had a similar quarterfinal finish, he would have earned $67,655, and the appearance fee at either of the ATP 250 events – the Chile Open or the Buenos Aires – would have awarded him less than the total of the Middle Eastern ATP 500 tournaments.
Cerundolo entered the Argentina Open as the top seed and won the title by defeating the second seed, Luciano Darderi, 6-4, 6-2 in the final. He suffered an early exit in the Rio Open but bounced back to reach the semifinals of the Chile Open, losing to the eventual runner-up, Yannick Hanfmann.
