After a difficult past few months on the Tour, Stefanos Tsitsipas is gaining momentum again with the Greek recording his seventh consecutive win at Indian Wells on Sunday.
Tsitsipas, who is a two-time Grand Slam finalist, eased into the last 16 of the Masters 1000 event with a 6-3, 6-3, triumph over Matteo Berrettini. Securing his seventh win over a top 50 player this season out of eight matches played. His only loss was against Alex Michelsen in the first round of the Australian Open.
Leading up to Indian Wells, Tsitsipas won his 12th ATP title at the Dubai Tennis Championships which was his first piece of silverware since April 2024. Shortly after that triumph, he posted a photo on social media of himself holding the trophy with a caption reading ‘They said my tennis was sinking, so I got myself a boat.”
“I wasn’t doing great lately, and the last few months weren’t amazing for me,” Tsitsipas told reporters about the post after beating Berrettini.
“I didn’t have any big results or victories that I could say that I’m headed towards a good direction with my game. So I feel like that caption sort of was a summary of the last few months.
“I feel like some of my opponents that I got to play were overpowering me and doing things much better than me when it came to playing bigger tennis. My entire career I’ve been known to be able to play big tennis but it wasn’t big enough, and I felt like I had to do something about it.”
Working with his coach Dimitris Chatzinikolaou, Tsitsipas noticed a ‘big improvement’ in his performance and work ethic which has helped enhance his confidence on the court. He has also changed the type of racket he uses but is currently keeping tight-lipped about those exact details.
After previously being mentored by his father Apostolos, Tsitsipas says his ’no filters’ relationship with Chatzinikolaou is working well.
“It’s a very honest relationship. There are no filters with Dimitris. I feel like we talk to each other openly and freely, and we can communicate excellently, and I think that’s what makes a good team when I can just communicate with him in the best possible ways,” Tsitsipas explained.
“I can just talk to him and be precise about how I feel and what I can improve, things that we can consider for the future.
“I feel like he’s very open-minded. I have had a few coaches that I don’t feel like they are as open-minded and adjusting as fast.
“What makes our relationship stand out is how we both feed each other feedback, meaning that I don’t pretend that I know everything, and Dimitris is humble enough to think that he’s not perfect either. I think that adds a lot to our relationship and makes us sort of work it out together.”
Tsitsipas will next play Holger Rune in Indian Wells. He has lost all three of his previously Tour-level meetings with the Dane but the last time they locked horns was in 2023.
