Stefanos Tsitsipas’ mother, Julia Salnikova, recently praised Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. She stated that these two players are currently the only ones on the Tour capable of genuinely contending for Grand Slam titles.
This year, the four Grand Slam titles — the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open — were shared between Alcaraz and Sinner. The Spaniard won the titles at Roland Garros and the US Open, while Sinner claimed victory at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Stefanos Tsitsipas’ Mother Julia’s Views on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
In an interview with Sports.ru, Tsitsipas’ mother, Salnikova, remarked that a few years ago, her son was considered a “promising player.” However, with the rise of Alcaraz and Sinner, the shortcomings of other players, including her son, became more apparent when they competed against these two.
“Look, he’s my son. For me, he’s a perfect player because so much time and heart has been invested in him. But every player has his ceiling. In the past, it looked like Styopa [Stefanos Tsitsipas] was a more promising player. But then arrived such players as Sinner and Alcaraz the Wizard – his coach is always happy when I call him a wizard. And other players’ shortcomings transpire against those two,” Salnikova said (translated from Russian).
Salnikova also spoke about Alexander Zverev, questioning if he deserves to be ranked World No. 3, given the way his performance can sometimes “crumble” to an “unbelievable” extent. She also expressed that Alcaraz and Sinner are the only players capable of contending for Grand Slam titles, and suggested that Tsitsipas and other players likely share this sentiment.
“I mean, [Alexander] Zverev is ranked No. 3. But is he really the third best player in the world? Is he worth this rank? His game sometimes crumbles to such extent it’s unbelievable. Only two people can realistically contend for slams now. Deep down, [Stefanos Tsitsipas] must be thinking the same. And all other players too. If someone says otherwise, I will simply not believe it,” she added.
This year, Tsitsipas’ best result was winning the 2025 Dubai Tennis Championships. He also reached the quarterfinals at the ABN AMRO Open, Monte-Carlo Masters, and Barcelona Open.
Tsitsipas To Begin 2026 Season at United Cup
Tsitsipas will kick off his 2026 season at the United Cup, scheduled to take place from January 2 to January 11, 2026. The matches of the tournament will be held at the RAC Arena in Perth and the Ken Rosewall Arena in Sydney.
In the inaugural season of this mixed-gender team tennis tournament in 2023, Team Greece reached the semifinals before losing 1-4 to the eventual runner-up, Team Italy. In 2024, the team made it to the quarterfinals but fell 1-2 to the eventual champion, Team Germany.
This year, Greece was eliminated in the group stage.
For the 2026 United Cup, Team Greece has been placed in Group E, alongside Team Great Britain and debutants Team Japan. Their matches will take place in Perth. The Greek team will comprise three male players and three female players: Tsitsipas, Stefanos Sakellaridis, Petros Tsitsipas, Maria Sakkari, Despina Papamichail, and Sapfo Sakellaridi.
