Stefanos Tsitsipas did not raise his head. The Greek has been suffering from a bad streak that has gone on for far too long and is seriously threatening his chances of qualifying for the big event at the end of the season: the ATP Finals.
The world number 5 said goodbye this Friday in the first change of the Beijing tournament after clearly surpassing the Chilean Nicolás Jarry (6-4, 6-4) in just an hour and a half.
This result represents a new setback for the Greek who, since reaching the quarterfinals of Roland Garros, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz, has not stopped accumulating disappointments on the court.
He had bye for the first time in Stuttgart, in the second round in Toronto and the US Open and in the round of 16 in Halle, Mallorca, Wimbledon and Cincinnati. Only his victory in Los Cabos, a minor tournament where he didn’t have to face any top 15, sweetened what was turning out to be one of the most bittersweet moments of his career.
The next appointment for Stefanos is, next week, the Shanghai Masters 1000, a tournament in which it does not defend points after being canceled by covid for the past three years. After the Chinese event, the Greek will return to Europe to face the final stage of the season, with tournaments in Antwerp, Vienna and Paris-Bercy.
The bad streak of results he was going through made him decide, after the US Open, to end his partnership with Mark Philippoussiswho has helped him since he got rid of his father, Apostolos, a fixture in the stands of every event the Athenian participates in, often accompanied by his partner and mother of his three children, former Russian tennis player Julia Salnikova.
“I gave him some free time, which he hadn’t had since I was 12 years old. I think it’s healthy so that he can stay longer on the track and feel new again,” explains Stefanos, who is healing Philippoussis, whom he counted on as a mentor in the past.
Without the powerful figure of Apostolos by his side, the Australian led the team, with the idea of exchanging with his father. of the tennis player, possibly coincidentally at the Grand Slams, because Philippoussis wanted to direct the tennis player’s route, without interference.
“I feel out of rhythm. My collaboration with Mark is over“explained Tsitsipas, who will try to close the season in the best possible way with the aim of securing a ticket for the ATP Finals in Turin.
Source: La Verdad
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