Photo credit: Scott Kinser Wick Photography
Stefanos Tsitsipas may have finally turned the corner in New York to find his way back to the elite levels of the game.
Tsitsipas booked his place in the US Open third round with a rousing four set 6-7 (7), 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-4 win over Lloyd Harris.
That win earned the former World No. 3 Tsitsipas, now ranked #53, his first appearance in a major third round since Roland Garros 2024, and his first time in the third round in New York in five years.
After upsetting No. 10 seed Arthur Fils in the first round, Tsitsipas is back to enjoying his time in the Big Apple, even though the frenetic pace of the city is not his usual vibe.
“It has so much history, so much culture and so many people from all over the world. I absolutely love environments like that. I thrive in environments like that,” Tsitsipas said afterward to the media.
“It has probably also been a negative for me in the past, because I feel like it’s overstimulating and it kind of distracts you from the tennis. That’s how I have felt about it in the past.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas revealed in his post match interview that he spent his off days in New York exploring bookstores. He picked up many books, including many on personal development. That probably makes sense given the 28-year-old Greek’s penchant for posting motivational phrases or quotes on his social media.
Personal development aside, Tsitsipas has taken bold steps in the last few weeks to try and turn around his season. That included recently hiring Patrick Mouratoglou to his coaching team.
Yet Tsitsipas is still hesitant to define what success at this US Open might look like.
“I define success through improvement. It doesn’t come down to a single result. If I see that, in my next match, I’ve stepped it up and improved certain aspects of my game, that already brings me joy.
The result itself is kind of secondary right now. I am more focused, with my team, on how we can actually get better. Even with the one practice day that we have tomorrow, I want to step out on the court with that mindset going into practice: I want to get better. How do I do it?”
When asked what it would take to make a deep run in New York, the only major where he has not gone past the third round, Tsitsipas said he feels he needs to be more aggressive on court.
“It all depends on whether I pursue aggressive tennis. Today, I felt like there were times when I was a bit passive. I am proud of my win and I’m proud of how I managed to find a way, but I would just like to see myself be more aggressive.When I see that, it builds confidence. It builds belief. It builds that feeling of, “We can do some damage.”That’s how I’m thinking about it. I just want to try to see something different in my next match.”
Tsitsipas next faces No. 18 seed Jiri Lehecka.
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